To Believe In The Stars
by dontcryMasha
Summary: AU. Castiel is the only unmated beta in his herd. With his fertile time running out, he has accepted that he will always be alone. All of this changes when a pack of hunters, broken up by a bad storm, seek shelter with his herd. Mpreg! Eggpreg!
1. Chapter 1

In the middle of a ring of high mountains, somewhere in the Great Land, there lived a herd of people. They had settled there countless generations ago and had no plans of leaving, since the terrain was absolutely perfect for life; an endless supply of clean water ran down from the mountains and helped nourish the dense forest that covered most of the expanse. That provided wood, shelter and safety for the people, but there was also plenty of sunshine for growing crops and raising livestock.

Castiel was a member of that herd. He had always been extraordinarily handy and built his house by himself. He had a plot of land that he owned where he grew crops and raised sheep for wool. Spinning yarn and making clothes suited him well, too, and most of what he wore had been made solely by himself. The only part of life that Castiel was missing was that he had not mated. Unfortunately for him, the herd was just shy of an extra alpha male that could breed him. It didn't usually bother him except for when spring was ending and the mating season was coming to a close; eggs were being laid and mated couples were preparing themselves for childrearing, all the while Castiel's few fertile years were being burned away.

"Cas? _Cas?_ "

There was a rapping outside of Castiel's house. The herd didn't really have doors aside from long pieces of straw that were embedded into the clay foundation and hung down like beads. Busy preparing a meal, Castiel set down his bone knife and went to the door.

"Did you see my clutch?"

A young redheaded woman stood there with a bundle of fabric in her arms.

"No," said Cas. "Come inside and I'll look."

The woman nodded and followed Castiel into his abode. It was all one room, like most of the herd's houses, with a nest in the corner, a wooden table for eating, a stone slab for food preparing and another wooden table for general handiwork. He had made two windows, too, that were small gaps high up in the clay walls. The midday sun beamed through them and provided substantial light.

"Here they are," the woman said with a smile. She sat down on a woolen pillow and opened her arms just enough to show three eggs. They were about the size of an ostrich's.

"Three?" asked Cas.

"Yes," the woman replied. "I was scared we would only have one. So scared. But it worked out well."

Cas looked at the eggs and frowned. "But, Anna, surely the number wouldn't change your love for them, right?"

"No," the woman apparently called Anna said, "But it would bother me to have such bad luck!"

Cas didn't agree. There was a saying in the herd where one egg was bad luck. It was thought to mean that the mother wasn't healthy. The elders claimed they had seen one egg clutches before and the babies always died, but nobody else could confirm.

"It doesn't matter," Anna continued. She wrapped the eggs again and held them close. "They're here now and I'm happy."

"You should be. Can I offer you anything?"

"No, I'm fine," Anna beamed. "There's little more I could want other than my eggs. But, Cas…"

Cas got up and went to his stone table to continue cutting vegetables. He eyed Anna and thinned his lips.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"What?" asked Cas.

"Mating season is ending once more and you are still unmated."

"There's no point in questioning that," Cas grumbled, "Since there aren't any unmated alphas left. What am I supposed to do?"

Anna sighed. She patted her bundle of eggs gently and looked down to the floor with a sad frown. "When the caravans come…maybe…"

" _No_ ," Cas interrupted. His voice had suddenly grown stern.

There were two kinds of herds in the Great Land—those that settled and those that constantly traveled by caravan. Every so often, different traveling herds would come through the valley with new seeds and supplies to sell. But Cas didn't like the traveling herds. They were too much like _packs_ of people. Herds were gatherers but _packs_ were hunters, and the two never got along. They seemed dangerous to herds.

"But…Cas…"

Sliding his vegetables into a wooden bowl, Cas kept his eyes fixed on Anna, waiting for her to continue. He didn't want to be scolded but it seemed he had no other choice.

"You know that we betas are only fertile for a few years."

"I know," Cas answered shortly. "I'm very well aware."

"We usually stop around, what, twenty four? Twenty five?"

"Yes."

"And how old are you?" Anna looked down to her eggs again.

"Twenty four."

"If you want to breed, you ought to hurry up."

"It's fine," Cas said in a hurried voice, desperate to change the subject. "I'm fine with not breeding. There are plenty of things I can do for the herd without being mated. Now if you excuse me, I need to keep cooking."

"Oh, right. I'll…I'll talk to you later, then."

Anna left with her clutch and Cas sighed. Of course he wasn't "fine" with being unmated, but he couldn't tell Anna how terrible it made him feel. With minor contempt in his heart, he took his vegetables outside of his house and around to the back where he had a fire going and a pot hanging over it. Water boiled within. He dumped the vegetables inside and took a seat on the single log beside it, now stirring the pot with a wooden spoon.

The sun was high overhead and beamed brilliantly through the fresh green leaves of the canopy. Cas looked up and watched as forest birds twittered about, bouncing from branch to branch. They were no doubt all nest owners, proud parents of eggs.

"That's how nature works," Cas mumbled beneath his breath. He continued to slosh the stew around, holding the spoon tightly in his fist and wearing a firm frown on his lips.

"Castiel!"

A man's shout stirred Cas from his grumbling. He heard heavy, urgent footsteps coming towards him. Perking up, he saw that Gadreel, another member of his herd who was quite stately, was waving at him. He came to Cas' side.

"What is it?" asked Cas.

"Gabriel has just had his eggs," said Gadreel. He cleared his throat and did his best to hide a smile on his face. "There are four. Four!"

"Ah, that's good for you. I'm glad."

Gadreel laughed heartily and his eyes twinkled. He shook Cas' spoon-holding arm so hard that his stew spilled over the edge. "Come and see them, you must."

Cas forced a nod. "All right, I will. Let me just…ah…" He watched the water run down his pot and sizzle into the flame. "I'll come."

They both got up and he followed Gadreel to his house. It was larger than Cas' but still just one room. A few other members of the herd were gathered around. Gabriel's sing-songy voice could be heard within.

"Hold on, hold on!" he called out. Gadreel parted the people aside and went right inside. Cas followed glumly.

"Here," said Gadreel, "Look at our clutch."

"Hey, Cas," Gabe said with a grin. He was sitting in their large nest with his arms around some fabric. Cas got close and peered. "Check them out."

Four lightly golden eggs were huddled close to Gabriel's chest. They were so freshly laid that the shells were still slightly soft.

"What do you think?" asked Gadreel. He couldn't hide his excitement anymore and his usual stoic expression had turned into complete elation. Cas smiled.

"Four is a high number," the unmated beta said. "That's lucky. You're fortunate. How was it, Gabe?"

Gabe shrugged. "Not too bad. Felt weird having the four in me. I had a hunch there were a lot. Must suck for you, though."

"Hm?" Cas asked, raising his eyebrows. The comment took him by surprise.

"Well, you know," Gabe continued, wearing a cheeky grin now, "Seeing my beautiful eggs when you don't even have an alpha."

" _Gabriel_ ," Gadreel warned. He nestled beside him and touched his arm, glaring. "Be kind to him."

"I guess," Cas muttered. He felt bad now, even though Gadreel was sensitive to his feelings. "I'm happy for you. I don't hold any resentment. And I'm glad that our herd continues to grow. But, I was in the middle of cooking and I really should get back to it."

"Okay, okay, fair enough," Gabe said. He leaned against Gadreel's arm and closed his eyes. "Do me one favor—tell the folks outside that they can come back later. Mama needs his rest!"

"Right. I will."

Cas gave a small bow before leaving. He did just as Gabriel asked and told the visitors to go home. They were disappointed but listened regardless, all turning around with anxious smiles. Cas wasn't as happy. He went back to his pot of stew and sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

Cas faced a long, sleepless night. He curled up into his nest but tossed and turned incessantly. There was a voice ringing in his head that repeated, " _Time is running out, time is running out_ ," and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it continued to nag.

Every position he took was uncomfortable. If he managed to settle into a decent crook of fabric, he would suddenly notice how itchy it was and would have to move again. This continued well into the night. Cas was exhausted and frustrated.

At some point when sleep was slipping so far from him that he probably wouldn't get any, he noticed a smell coming in through his small windows. Perking up, it was notably strong and herbal. Someone was smoking. His curiosity piqued, Cas rolled out of his nest and left his home wearing only his nightshirt.

A few houses down he saw Gadreel sitting out around his fire pit. There was a wooden pipe in his mouth and he stared up at the sky through the green canopy. Cas joined him.

"Where's Gabe?" asked Cas.

Gadreel sucked on the pipe and a puff of smoke came out. "Sleeping with the clutch," he replied smoothly. His eyes remained looking upwards.

"Can't you sleep?"

"I can, but I wish not to."

"Why is that?"

"I've been praying for you."

"What?"

Cas stared. Tight muscles in his back from tossing and turning relaxed.

"I've been praying for you," Gadreel repeated. He looked over to the other man now and gave a slight smile. "Now I'm watching the skies for an answer."

Cas glanced upwards. "What kind of answer? What did you pray for?"

"For you to find a mate and settle."

"Oh, but…"

"We'll wait for an answer."

They both stared at the great blackness overhead. The people of the Great Land believed that their God arranged the sky as a means of communication. If a person were to call up above, their God would give signals to show the message was received and how it would be solved. Countless years had been spent deciphering their God's celestial code but nobody ever agreed completely on what each sign meant or how long it took for it to show up.

"What do you supposed Chuck could even do?" Cas asked.

"I don't know, but a God's power is limitless, isn't it?"

Cas shrugged. He closed his eyes and realized how tired he was.

"You need sleep," said Gadreel.

"I'm aware. I've been trying all night."

"Don't worry yourself so much."

"I know…"

Gadreel nodded. "Any problem you have can wait until tomorrow to be thought about."

"That's true," Cas hummed. He suppressed a wide yawn and decided he would try again. Luckily this time it worked.

* * *

"Do you see that?"

"What is it?"

"It looks like caravans."

"No, no, it isn't! It's a pack of hunters!"

The following morning was filled with chaos. As the herd woke up, they noticed a small group of people heading through the forest and towards their development. It was obvious by their clothes, colors and supplies that they were not a herd. Castiel's people cowered in fear as an older man with shaggy greying hair and a large beard stepped in front of his pack.

"Hail," he said. "We have no intentions of hurting you. Relax."

While the herd remained silent, mostly hidden in their homes, Cas came forth and approached the man.

"Who are you?" Cas asked.

"I am Cain, and this is my pack. What's left of it, at least." He gestured to the three covered wagons. There were four other people visible and Cas wasn't sure how many were inside. "We come from the other side of the mountains and have travelled in search of shelter."

Cas cleared his throat. "What happened the rest of your pack?"

"We were torn by terrible weather. A wicked storm destroyed nearly everything."

"Storm? Is it headed this way?"

"No," Cain said, shaking his head. "The storm passed east of here. But we are concerned that more ill weather could strike. We have no intentions of staying here for very long, and would advise you all to leave."

Perhaps inspired by Cas' bravery, a beta female came out from her house and glared at the invading hunters.

"We aren't going to leave," she said angrily. Three eggs were nestled in her arms. "This is our home. You can't come here and tell us to move. We don't know you."

"I never said you _have_ to leave," Cain continued with a frown, "It was merely a suggestion. Bad weather has crippled my pack so badly that I fear we will never recover."

The beta stood her ground but Cas tried to defuse it. "Must we discuss this now?" he asked. "I think you should stay and rest with us. Everything else can be decided later, right?"

Cain nodded. "Where is your leader?"

"Leader?"

"Yes, the grand alpha who makes all of your decisions."

Cas looked around. "We don't have one."

"What?"

"We don't have a leader. Everyone works together on those matters."

Cain gave a short sigh. "Very well, then I suppose we can move in without any debate or diplomacy."

"Yes."

The rest of the herd wasn't thrilled with Cas' decision. Many of them stayed cooped up in their homes, protecting their eggs in fear of the hunters taking them. Herds are vegetarian but packs are meat eaters, and their possible protein sources made the herd rather uncomfortable.

But Cain and his people stayed in their wagons on the first day. One of them came out and started a fire while another got water from the river. Cas sat in the threshold of his front door space and watched them working. It seemed to him that they weren't as different from herds as he was always told. They actually looked quite friendly.

As time went by, three other hunters appeared from the covered wagons. Two of them were females and had eggs of their own, and the third was a man. He was tall, well built and with short hair. Apparently hunters used tools to trim their hair, too, even if Cain clearly didn't practice that.

Feeling friendly, Cas got up and followed the tall hunter as he went downstream to bathe. The man stripped of his clothes and stepped into the water, all the while Cas watched with curious eyes. He had an incredible body. His muscles shifted like a work of art as he carried himself through the water. There was a strong scent attached to him and Cas couldn't resist.

"Hello," Cas said, stepping into view now. The man suddenly jumped and turned to glare at Cas.

"What're you doing?!" he hissed.

"I thought we would bathe together," Cas said as he began to undress. "I would like to welcome you to our—"

"Get away!"

"Huh?"

Cas froze with one leg out of his pants. He stared in great confusion as the man appeared to think Cas had three heads.

"I said get away!" he repeated, just as angrily. "I'm washing!"

"Um, yes, exactly. We could wash together-"

"What's wrong with you?!"

"I don't understand," Cas' voice was growing tiny now. "I'm being hospitable. I thought it would be welcoming to bathe together."

"Is that what you guys do? You bathe together?!"

"Um, yes."

"Well hunters don't," the man growled. He remained deep enough in the water so that only his head was showing. "Hunters wash alone. When someone's in the water, nobody else comes in."

"Oh, I see," Cas hummed. "But you aren't in hunter territory now. This is a herd's settlement. And, well, um, we were nice enough to let you stay. Don't you think you should abide by our rules?"

"Your rules?" The man scoffed. "You don't even have a leader. How do you have rules?"

"You could call them courtesies if you'd like."

Cas tried his best to smile but the hunter was standing his ground.

"Go away," he hissed. "Bathe with your mate. Don't bother me."

Despite the man's offensive demeanor, Cas stepped closer to the water. He put his pants back on but sat down at the river's edge. "I don't have a mate," he admitted in shame.

"You _don't_?" the man asked. Something softened in his face. "What happened to him? Or her?"

"He would be an alpha, but I have never had one."

"Seriously?"

"It's true…and yours?"

The man cleared his throat. He swam closer to Cas but still had most of his chest covered by the water. His glaring eyes had transformed into sadness.

"You heard what Cain said about our pack," he explained. "We had almost fifty people but they all died. My mate was one of them."

"I'm sorry."

Cas felt great pity for the man, but he was also overwhelmed by the musky scent that he carried. It was smooth and good and inviting.

"It's okay," said the hunter, clearly not feeling _okay_ about it, "Nature's will and all of that. We had eggs, too."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. But hey, I gotta apologize for being rude. I admit I've been standoffish towards your people. You know, hunters think your kind is a bunch of sissies."

"I'm aware," Cas said with a slight chuckle. "We think _your_ kind is a bunch of wild animals. But I've been watching you all and I think we're more similar than we've been told."

"Yeah, only…only you guys still have your eggs."

Hatred beamed in the man's face again. He was clearly holding resentment against the egg carriers.

" _I don't_ ," Cas spat out immediately. "I never have. And I'm probably not even fertile anymore."

"Then I guess we're even, huh?" the man asked. He swam closer and extended his hand. "Let's start over. I'm Dean. I'm the second most potent alpha in my pack."

That explained the pheromone smell. With Dean so close now, Cas met his hand to shake it but was overwhelmed by the musk. It was nearly a tangible object that wrapped around Cas' body. He felt his knees weaken. He examined the fine hair all over Dean's chest that faded down to a line near his crotch. The water's surface just barely hid his good bits.

"I-I'm Cas."


	3. Chapter 3

"Goodness…"

Cas didn't even know what to do with himself when he returned home. He really needed to eat, but he didn't feel like going back outside for a while. This Dean fellow, though a bit brash, was overwhelmingly intoxicating. His musk was still heavy in Cas' nose. He kept inhaling, hoping that the smell would grow stronger but instead it slowly faded away.

"No…"

He closed his eyes and curled up into his nest. How strange was this experience? He couldn't help but wonder if all hunters had this effect on gatherers. Perhaps that was what led the two kinds of people to be separated.

"I can't…"

Cas kept mumbling to himself as he tried to get Dean's essence out of his mind. He covered his face with both hands and groaned loudly. What was he to do?! Who knew how long the hunters would stay! One strong alpha male couldn't stop him from going about his day. He had plenty of work to do. This was crazy.

He decided to get up anyway. Instilling himself with false confidence, he got out of his house and went into the woods to forage, bringing along a sturdy basket. Before he made it very far, he was flagged down by the beta female who had initially protested the pack's arrival.

"Cas!" she shouted.

"Tessa?"

"I want to talk to you for a moment."

"Okay."

Cas turned around and came back to face the woman. She was holding her eggs in a bundle but glaring at the man.

"I saw you talking to one of the hunters earlier," she said grimly.

"I did. Is that so wrong? They're our guests."

Tessa leaned closer to Cas and her voice dropped into a rigid whisper. "They _are_ , but they're also _hunters_. And just so you know, the rest of our herd isn't exactly thrilled about you allowing them to stay."

"If we had a leader like they do, then we could have had them decide."

Tessa glared.

"Don't—don't start getting ideas from them! They're _hunters!_ "

Cas sighed. There was no use in arguing. He wasn't entirely sure what to think of the matter, anyway. "We're all people," he said dismissively, turning away and going back into the woods.

"Cas!" Tessa yelled after him. He ignored it. His stomach was grumbling and that was much more important.

Though the forest was peppered with edible plants, Cas knew the best spots to find the sweetest, least picked over berries. He had to go some distance from his herd's settlement and hike over decently knotted roots. The ground, which was mostly flat all in the Valley, had slight dips and hills that Cas' feet knew very well. When he finally made it to his glade, he realized his was not alone.

"Tessa, please…"

His voice faded when he turned around and saw Dean standing there.

"Hey."

"Um, hello…Dean…were you following me?"

"Kind of."

Feeling violated, Cas kept his back towards a berry bush and held his basket close to his chest. Dean stood his ground and looked a little bashful.

"I heard that beta arguing with you," he said softly.

"Oh…"

"Now I feel bad that my pack is here."

Cas wrinkled his forehead. His shoulders relaxed and he lowered the basket. "Why?"

"It looks like your herd is mad because of us."

"No, my herd is mad because they're narrow minded. They're mad because I'm different."

"You think so?"

Cas nodded sadly. "I know so. They think I've chosen to be unmated, but I really didn't."

Dean stepped up to Cas now. His musk became noticeable and Cas swallowed tightly. It would be hard to focus with that strong scent.

"That's rotten," said Dean. "But it's weird, because you all think that hunters are savages…we would never treat a member of the pack differently for being unmated."

"I guess we are just different, then. That's it."

Cas sighed and quickly faced the berry bush. He had to distract himself from that strong, wicked smell. He pulled a few plump red ones and offered them to Dean.

"Do you eat fruit or only meat?"

Dean laughed. "We eat anything. Thanks." He took one of the berries and ate it. "This is great! Wow. Wish we grew fruit this good back where I'm from."

Cas was flattered. He gave Dean a few more berries and had some himself. "This is my special place for good fruit," he told the hunter. "Not many people in my herd know about it."

"I'll be sure to stay quiet."

"Oh, as if they would listen to you. I'd be surprised if they even gave you the chance to speak."

"You're right."

Dean decided to plot down on the grass and take his time eating the berries. Cas was filling the basket now. He used this as an excuse to keep some distance from Dean.

"If you don't mind me asking," Cas began, looking at Dean from time to time, "Why are you talking to me? Considering my herd and your pack ought not get along."

"I feel bad, partly. Bad 'cause I was rude to you earlier. But also I think you're nice to talk to. We have things in common."

"We do, but you _lost_ your mate. I never had one."

Cas frowned as he said this. It was terribly rude to feel jealous that Dean had once had a clutch of eggs and a mate since they were all gone now. Dean glanced up at Cas.

"Does it matter what happened?" he asked. "The result is the same."

"I guess so."

"And in the end, my pack is gonna ship out of here and we won't see each again anyway. So why not make the most of it while we're here?"

Now Cas _really_ frowned. What was the point of pursuing a friendship when it would end?

"I…guess so. But that sounds more like we shouldn't even start."

Feeling defeated, Cas took his basket and sat down close to Dean. He inhaled deeply and suppressed a tight moan.

"Never hurt to learn about new stuff," Dean said softly, popping a plump berry into his mouth. He eyed Cas and smiled. "Even if I only talk to you for two days, we'll retain what we learned forever."

"Hmm. Then what would you have us talk about?"

"Anything. Doesn't matter. Did you always live here?"

"Yes," Cas said, nodding confidently. "My herd has been in the Valley for generations upon generations. That's why we aren't afraid when your pack suggested we leave. We've been through storms. We've been through floods. The Valley provides and it has never let us down."

"Okay," Dean hummed. "That makes sense. But I doubt you've ever seen a storm like the one we faced. Think about it—it wiped out pretty much my entire pack. Just in an hour."

Cas gulped. "It…it couldn't be all that terrible, though…how is it possible? Had you seen storms like that before? Close?"

"No. Some thunder, some heavy rain, but this was the first time I experienced this kind of destruction. It was…horrible."

"Could you describe it? Or is that too painful?"

Dean took a deep breath. He had finished all of his berries and now his juice-stained fingers sat in his lap. Cas tried to focus on his words and not his scent.

"It's fine," Dean began. "The day was normal, though it had been pretty damn hot. We saw dark clouds coming as the sun began to set. Thought it was just some rain. The closer it got, we all realized that it wasn't just rain. It was the most mega-massive storm cloud _ever_.

"First there was wind. Wind that snapped trees, blew over our wagons, collapsed roofs," Dean shuddered at the memory. "A lot of us died from the wind alone. But that wasn't even the worst of it! Rain came along with lighting. Pow, pow, pow! The sky was dark and only the flashes lit up our world. I tried to hide my mate in the house, but the rain came so fast that it was flooding everything. We rushed out and scrambled with everyone else. Nobody knew what to do. It was raining so much, the wind was still blowing and our settlement was being demolished…"

"Oh, Dean, I'm sorry," Cas' tiny voice rang. He was compelled to touch the hunter's leg out of compassion. Dean didn't respond much to it.

"Cain got a hold of an upright wagon and was piling people into it. Nobody had time to grab many supplies. It was horrible. I can still hear the screams over the wind…"

"Dean," Cas interrupted again. He felt terrible for the man. It didn't matter that they were different kinds of people—loss was loss and pain was pain.

"My mate was about to get into the wagon when she dropped one of the eggs," Dean continued. His eyes looked empty as he stared at his hands. "It broke. I told her to get into the wagon anyway, Cain said we had to go right away and we still had two eggs left. But she freaked out so much that she jumped out of the wagon and tried to save the egg, even though it was gone. Then while she panicked, she um," he cleared his throat and looked at Cas, eyes bloodshot with tears, "She dropped the others. Cain told the wagon to move. My mate didn't know what to do, so she stood there and…well…"

He paused here. Cas recognized that it was wrong to say anything so they sat there in silent for a while. Lucky for him, the overwhelming sympathy made it easier to ignore Dean's scent. His instincts were quiet. Finally, Dean spoke again.

"I don't wanna say what happened, but we lost our eggs and I lost her."

"I'm sorry, Dean."

"Like I said before, it's okay. That's what happened and I've accepted it."

"Where will you go after this?"

"Follow my pack. Whatever Cain decides it what I'll do. Remember how I said I'm the second most potent alpha?" Cas nodded. How could he forget?! "When Cain dies, I become the leader."

Cas widened his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter like it used to. What good is it to be the leader of a couple people?"

"There are still some eggs, right?"

"There are, but who are those kids going to breed with? We don't have enough people. We'll have to combine with another pack."

"Oh…that's true. Ah, wait!" Cas froze. "You aren't going to take over our herd, are you?!"

Dean couldn't help but laugh. "Why would we do that?"

"Because you're hunters?"

He kept laughing. "You're crazy, Cas. What do your people think hunters do? We hunt _animals_ , not people. We would never do that. Joining another pack—not herd—is something that everyone votes on. Remember? We have leaders and make decisions and all of that. Don't worry."

Cas relaxed. "All right, I believe you."

"Anyway, I'm gonna get back to my pack. Thanks for the berries. Really. I appreciate it. I'll see you around."

Dean got up and said his goodbyes, leaving Cas sitting in the grass of the glade. Once the hunter was completely out of sight, Cas flung himself flat on the ground and sniffed where Dean had been sitting.

"Ohh, goodness!" he moaned. The aroma was so intense. Cas rubbed his face into the grass and smiled, closing his eyes. How could a person smell so good? Was this normal?


	4. Chapter 4

"Anna? _Anna?_ "

Cas rapped on the outside of Anna's clay hut. He had run back through the woods with his head spinning, slightly intoxicated by the hunter's pheromones and needing answers quickly.

"Hm?"

The redhead appeared with her clutch in a bundle at her chest. She looked serene, despite the herd being angry with Cas.

"I have to ask you some things."

"Go ahead. Would you like to come in?"

"Sure."

He followed Anna within and took a seat on a pad around their table. It was larger than Cas', especially since they had a family starting. Anna's mate, Balthazar, was also home.

"Oh, Castiel," he said. "Fancy seeing you around. I thought you were off with the pack."

"No."

"That's a good thing. One false word and, well, you know…"

Cas narrowed his eyes at Balthazar. "I know what?"

"They might eat you."

"They don't eat other people!" Cas barked.

"How do you know?"

"Because…because that's what they said."

"It may be true, but I don't think you should take their word alone. If I was going to eat you, I probably wouldn't tell you that."

Cas frowned. It was true. Balthazar made a good point. He barely knew Dean or his people. If they wanted to take over the herd, he likely wouldn't reveal their plan. Cas' stomach churned at this.

"Um, Cas?" Anna snapped into the conversation. "You didn't come here to debate with Balthazar, did you?"

"No," Cas said in a tiny voice. "I wanted to ask you a few things. About your relationship."

Anna and Balthazar looked at each other. "Yes?" Anna asked after Cas felt silent for a moment. He hesitated.

"Well, um, you see," Cas' low voice sounded more gravelly than usual, "How did you know you would be mates?"

Balthazar laughed. "Cas, Cas, Cas," he said. "We all grew up together. How did you miss that? Anna and I were best of friends, weren't we?"

"Yes," Anna said with a cheerful nod. "Balthazar helped out with my aging parents and I suppose we just fell in love."

"Oh," Cas hummed. "There was no primal attraction?"

"What do you mean?" Anna asked, blinking hard. "I find him attractive."

"I don't see how anyone _couldn't_ find Anna attractive," Balthazar mused with a thin smirk.

"No, not like that. I mean, a _smell_ or intoxicating attractant. Anything like that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Anna admitted. "Sorry."

Here, Balthazar gave an exhausted sigh. He shifted on his pad and put both hands down on the table, folding them together. "Cas," he began, "Please tell me this isn't myth you've been told by the pack."

"No," Cas replied instantly. He was telling the truth, after all—Dean never mentioned the smell, it was just _happening_. "I was wondering, nothing more."

"I'm sorry we couldn't help more," said Anna. "Do you want to come for dinner?"

"No, no thank you. But, it's fine. I'll see you around."

Defeated and even more confused, Cas returned to his own hut. As he continued to think about everyone's words, it occurred to him that they might be right. Dean probably _was_ trouble, along with his remaining pack. That smell could have been some form of dark magic that he was using to lower Cas' inhibitions so that he could kill and eat him.

Feeling terrible, Cas curled up in his nest and ponder these things. Hunters ate meat. They tracked and killed animals. Who does that? They were brutal savages who had a leader to help make decisions because any anarchy would probably end in violent chaos. This made Cas shudder. Dean seemed so friendly, even when he was rude at first. He had just lost his mate. That required some sympathy and a few good excuses.

Cas accidentally had a small nap which he awoke from feeling worse than ever. It was the wrong time of day to sleep and that never made happy. Groggy and miserable, Cas wandered outside and to his cooking cauldron. The water was low and needed to be changed, so he hoisted up the pot by its little handles and hauled it down to the riverbank. Nobody else was there, which seemed odd for late afternoon. They must have been busy with their eggs or perhaps hiding from the hunters. Cas didn't care, even after all of his doubts.

"Hey!"

While the beta was stooped at the river's edge and cleaning out his pot, Dean's voice called out to him. It sounded cheerful. Cas looked up at saw that the hunter was coming from the river. He was wading in it with a large net.

"Oh, hello," Cas said softly.

"You've got amazing fish in this river!" Dean cheered. He lifted up the net and showed off a big fat fish he had evidently just caught. Cas' eyes widened.

"You eat them?" he asked. Dean got very close now.

"Yeah, of course. Haven't you seen bears catching fish?"

"We don't have bears down here. They stay in the mountains."

"Oh, weird. Okay. They're all over the place on the other side of the ridge. And fish are awesome! You've really never tried them?"

Cas shook his head. "We don't eat any meat."

"Taboo?"

"No, we just…" Cas' voice faded. It occurred to him that there was no good reason why they didn't. "We just don't," he said with incredibly speculation in his voice.

"Wanna try?" Dean teased. There was no more pain in his voice. He wasn't hostile or bitter. Now, the man was playful and comfortable.

"Maybe?!" Cas responded. He felt a chill down his spine. If the herd was mad now, just wait until he eats meat! "How do you eat it?"

"All kinds of ways. Roast it, salt and dry it, stew it. That's a nice pot you've got there, we could cook it up good."

Cas decided in an instant that he wanted to cook the fish. He put fresh water in the cauldron and Dean followed him back to his house. There were a few members of the herd hanging around, but when they saw Dean, they disappeared. Cas disregarded it. Instead, he lit a fire and put the water to boil.

"It takes a while," he said, trying not to breathe in Dean's aroma.

"Yeah, I know. We gotta prepare the fish anyway."

"Prepare it?"

"Yep. Watch."

Dean put the fish down on the ground and took out a long, sharp knife. He used it to cut the fish up this way and that until the edible parts were in chunks. Cas watched curiously. It didn't gross him out. He thought it was fascinating.

"What do you do with the insides?" Cas asked, pointing to Dean's scrap pile. He put the good pieces into the cauldron then wrapped the guts in a thin cloth.

"We take 'em back to the river so it can cycle again."

Cas looked into the cauldron. "Cycle?" he asked, passively stirring with a wooden spoon. Dean squat down beside him.

"Well, yeah," he said. "The life cycle; every living thing is born, grows, eats and dies. After it dies, it becomes food for another part of the cycle."

"I guess so."

"Everything does that if you think about it."

Cas pondered Dean's words for a moment. He considered the fish at first and it was true. There was always another creature to eat the body of another, even if they were tiny bugs.

"You're right," Cas said. He smiled at Dean.

"Don't act so surprised."

"I can't help but be!" Cas laughed. "Here I'm starting to think your people really are savages."

"We're just different, that's all. We think about life and pray to God and all of that, too."

"Do you? The sky God?"

"Chuck?"

"Yes!" Cas exclaimed. It surprised him that they had any religion at all. Dean smiled.

"I really don't think we're all _that_ different," the hunter said. He watched Cas stirring the fish. "I bet we came from the same people a long, long time ago."

"Do you really think so?"

"Why not? We're both people. Compared to the other animals in the Great Land, we look the same."

"Hm."

Cas hummed softly as he continued to tend the stew. After a while, Dean said that it was ready, so Cas brought two wooden bowls from inside and they served some.

"This is my first meat ever," Cas said. He touched a piece of fish with his spoon. It looked tender and smelled incredible. Dean was already eating.

"Mmm, it's great! Try it. You'll love it, guaranteed."

Hesitating but happy to be experiencing such things, Cas picked up a chunk of fish and put it to his lips. He bit into it and found the meat to be tender, warm, and delicious. He couldn't even describe how good it was.

"Oooh!" Cas gasped. He chewed slowly to savor the flavor. This was also the perfect distraction from Dean's musk. "This is—this is so good!"

"Haha! I'm glad you like it!" Dean laughed. "See why we hunters think the herds are sissies? What have you been eating your whole life?"

"Fruits and vegetables, but I want more of this!"

They continued to eat and chat happily until most of the stew was gone. Cas' face flushed red with the new flavors and smells. He couldn't believe that Dean was up to no good anymore—this was too wonderful!


	5. Chapter 5

It didn't matter how frightened of Dean they were, for the unknown smell of cooked fish roused the herd's senses and they began to gather around Cas' fire. They hesitated to look at Dean or speak, but Cas, worried when they surrounded him, spotted Tessa staring him down.

"What's that smell?" she asked, stepping forward.

In a timid voice, Cas said, " _Fish_."

This made the herd gasp. Not loud and rudely, but a soft sound of ashamedness. Cas felt bad. He looked to Dean for reassurance and found it in a smile.

"Fish is delicious," Dean told them. This made the herd nervous, clearly. "I'm surprised you don't eat it."

Holding her bundle of eggs in her arm, she pointed the other finger at Dean. "We don't kill what nature creates!" she hissed. "The world isn't ours to _destroy!_ "

"Eating some fish doesn't destroy anything," Dean argued calmly. Cas wasn't sure what to do. "Animals eat other animals, too."

Quiet chatter grew within the herd. Cas spotted Gabe looking at Gadreel with an uncertain face. He said something Cas was too far to hear and Gadreel put his hand out to stop him. Anna, however, made her voice clear.

"We cause enough destruction when we create a settlement," she said, looking at Dean with some startled fear in her eyes. "It would be foolish of us to make ever more."

"Destruction?" Dean asked. He looked surprised and stood up now. The herd visibly moved backwards. "By Chuck, you all need to relax. I'm not gonna hurt you!"

"He's A MONSTER!" Tessa suddenly shrieked. This was completely out of line and did nothing to ease the herd. Many of them went back to their houses, looking terrified. Cas felt his face grow red with anger.

"No he isn't!" Cas yelled. His loud voice quieted the herd that remained. This put him at the center of attention and he suddenly felt very, very tiny. Dean looked at him and nodded. "Dean is…Dean is nice. Fish is good, and…and we are really the same kind of animal. Why do you hold such strong biases against the hunters? If you gave them a chance, just like I have, you would see that they are—"

"Enough, Castiel," Tessa interrupted. She turned to address her people. "I think we've heard enough, right?"

They nodded and quickly disbanded, leaving Cas alone with Dean and the pot of fish stew. Hardly any was left. The fire was dying out and Cas was mentally exhausted.

"What do I do?" he sighed, looking to Dean pathetically.

"They'll understand in time, I bet," he said. "But hey, don't worry about them. Why don't you come by and meet my pack?"

Cas perked up. "Really?"

"Sure. You'll get along better with them than I do with your herd."

"Are you sure?"

Dean grinned. "Positive."

They made sure that the fire was extinguished and without delay headed over to the outskirts of the herd's settlement. There, the three wagons were set up in a feeble circle. The pack appeared to be quite busy.

"Hail, Dean," said Cain, the leader. He was clearly the eldest of them all, showing not only by his body but also his mannerisms. He was sitting around a large fire with a piece of wood in front of him and a thick knife in his hand. It appeared as though he was carving a stool. Judging by the rock he was sitting on, he needed it. Two redheads were on either side of him.

"Hail," Dean replied with a smile. He gestured to the beta. "This is my friend, Cas. He's friendly and very interested in us. Would you be okay with him spending time here?"

Cain looked to the ladies at his sides. One had a clutch of four soft-pink eggs in her arms while the other was clearly too old to be fertile. She was smaller, too, but very pretty and wore a loose dress. She eyed Cas.

"How friendly?" she asked in an oddly sing-songy voice. Cas was surprised by the unusual accent.

"I tried fish!" He sputtered. This made Cain, Dean and the redheads laugh.

"How cute!" the older lady said. She leaned to Cain and put her hand on his leg and squeezed. Cain nodded to her then looked back to Dean.

"I think we like him," he said. Dean seemed relieved.

"Let me introduce you to the last of my pack," he told Cas. Pointing to the redhead who had spoken already, he called her Rowena. The other was Abaddon. He then yelled out to the wagons and the rest of the hunters appeared.

First there was a beta male who had a stocky body, blonde hair and a sweet face. His name was Luci. He had two eggs but apparently had lost one as well as his mate.

"I'm sorry," Cas said to him.

"It happens," Luci sighed. He looked down at the remaining two. They were pale like his hair. "I'm just glad I still have these."

Then came another male, only he was also an alpha (presumably less virile than Dean). He was shorter but also very handsome. Upon seeing Cas, he smiled.

"Cole," he introduced himself. There was a bit of red in his cheeks.

"I'm Cas."

"You were the guy who let us stay here, huh?"

"Mm. That's me."

Dean watched them intently.

"Never thought I'd get the chance to meet any of you. Turns out herds are about as arrogant as we always thought."

"Arrogant?" Cas asked, blinking.

"No offense, Cas," Cole said with a wink. "I see nothing wrong with _you_. But hospitality sure isn't a strong point for the rest of you all."

"It usually is," the beta sighed. He looked to Dean now and saw that he was a little peeved. "They just don't think packs are safe. It's unjustified, I know."

"Sweet of you to think about it, though," Cole said.

" _Anyway_ ," Dean interrupting, stepping between the two, "There're still two left in my pack. That's Meg coming this way and Jo is still in that wagon. She has eggs."

Meg, a short woman with black hair and a very round face, smirked when she saw Cas and pushed Cole out of the way.

"So _you're_ the one who Dean's been hanging out with?" She asked, still smiling. Her eyes seemed to eat Cas up.

"Yes," Cas said, shifting on his heels, "I suppose so. But, um, I am a beta, you know."

"I know, honey," said Meg. She bit her lower lip and appeared to be sniffing the air. Cas felt uncomfortable.

"Meg's an alpha female," Dean clarified.

"What?"

"An alpha female," Meg repeated. Cas wasn't sure how to respond so he just stared.

"Then," he stammered, "Then you have—"

"A little one, yeah," Meg laughed. Cas inhaled sharply.

"Do you have a mate?"

"Lost her."

"I'm sorry…"

"Easy come, easy go. We've all lost someone during the storm. Even Cain dropped a few betas."

Cas thought he was losing his mind. He blinked several times and turned to Dean, almost in desperation, for answers and clarification.

"A few? A _few_ betas?"

Dean laughed at this but Cas was so confused he saw no humor.

"The leader can take as many betas as he want," he explained. "Cain had five but now all that remains…"

His voice faded as he glanced over to the leader. Cas followed with his eyes and suddenly realized why Abaddon and Rowena were sitting so close to him. Rowena went in for a kiss and then Cain gave one to Abaddon.

"Then those little pink eggs," Cas said softly.

"Abaddon and Cain's," Meg finished the sentence for him.

"But Rowena?"

"She's not fertile anymore. Came down to our pack after she was."

"Came from where?"

Meg chuckled. She took another step closer to Cas and touched his arm. He shuddered at her warmth.

"You all really don't know much, do you?" she asked.

"I thought I did, but apparently not. It seems that packs and herds _are_ quite different."

Dean took Meg's hand and pushed it away from Cas. Meg frowned but her smile came back quickly when she watched Dean and Cas interacting.

" _Oh_ ," she said softly. Dean ignored it.

"You know what I think would be fun for you?" he asked Cas.

"Anything?" the beta laughed.

"Maybe, but I think you should come back here tomorrow evening. We're having our first day of Summer festival and you could learn even more."

Cas smiled warmly and agreed. After he said his goodbyes and headed home, it occurred to him that while they were with the pack, Dean's pheromone smell had diminished.


	6. Chapter 6

After Cas left the pack's area and walked back through his own, it was noticeably quiet. He saw a few gatherers preparing for the night, but when he approached of tried to greet them, they turned their backs. He couldn't be bothered by that right now, though—he had met people who didn't just him as harshly and was bound to be in for a good time the next day!

After a decent sleep, Cas woke up to find that it was a hot morning. His body felt sticky. Summer was certainly here.

"Pssst!"

A little voice came from one of Cas' windows.

"PSSSSSSST!"

Cas stood up on his toes and looked out of it, but nobody was there. They were too low to the ground or too close to the wall.

"Who is that?" he called out.

"SHHH! I'm coming around…"

Not a moment too soon, Gabe dashed through the front door. He was hunched over with his eggs in his arms.

"Is something wrong?" asked Cas. It was nice to see a herd member who wasn't afraid or angry to talk to him.

Still whispering, Gabe asked, "You have any more of that fish?"

"It doesn't last so we had to eat it," Cas told him. This came as a great surprise. "Do you…want to try it?"

"Yeah. But Dreel would never let me! I didn't tell him _anything_."

"Do you really think he would be that angry?"

Gabe plopped down on one of Cas' cushions and rocked his eggs gently in his arms. He frowned. Wisps of chestnut hair fell in his face.

"Dunno," said Gabe. "He's mad about you and all of this."

Cas cleared his throat. "And you? How do you feel about it?"

Gabe shrugged. He looked up from his eggs and smirked at Cas. "It's not my place to judge. If that hunter dude is nice to you, then he's probably a nice dude. I dunno."

"Thank you, Gabe. It's nice to have _someone_ understand what I'm going through."

"You gonna breed with him?"

Suddenly, Cas froze. He stared at Gabe with wide eyes, but his guest continued to smile.

"Well?"

"I…"

" _Yeaaah?_ "

"I don't know."

Cas folded his arms and diverted his eyes away. Gabe let out a laugh.

"You're probably past your fertile time, anyway!"

Cas didn't think that was very funny.

"But you'll be okay. You always are."

"I suppose," Cas spoke in a small voice. He pulled at a hair on his arm absentmindedly.

"He looks like a strong guy," Gabe continued. "He'd probably make great kids."

"Probably."

"He's handsome."

"He _is…_ "

"He's tall!"

"Not as tall as Gadreel."

"No?"

"I don't think so."

Gabe shrugged. "Whatever. He's a strong looking guy."

"Mmh."

"Anyway, I'll go."

He got up with his eggs and headed out, leaving Cas relatively speechless. Here was a beta who finally understood that Dean wasn't evil, but…

"I can't breed with a hunter," Cas sighed. "Being friends is one thing, but mates is another."

Cas ate some seeds for quick energy before he grabbed up his dirty clothes to wash. He tossed everything into a basket and took it down to the river, passing by Dean's pack. Meg was outside and she waved him down.

"You're coming for the festival, hmm?"

"Yes, I think so. Dean invited me."

"How nice of him."

"When does it start?"

"Sundown."

Cas looked around. He saw that the pack was already setting things up. Rowena stirred a large cauldron while Cain kept carving stools. Cole, the other alpha, was skinning some kind of animal. Cas presumed that the folks with eggs were inside the wagons.

"Where's Dean?"

"Out on a hunt," Meg said with a smile. She looked Cas up and down. "Why?"

"I just thought I would see him. Is he getting meat for tonight?"

"Mmhmm."

"Do you know where he went? Maybe I can join him. I'd love to watch him hunting."

Meg's eyes suddenly widened. She pressed her small, round lips together and leaned close to Cas. "I don't think you want to do that," she warned politely.

"Why?"

"Because he's _hunting_."

"And? Do you think he would mistake me as prey?"

Meg hummed in slight amusement. "That's right, you don't know."

Cas thought that Meg was being difficult on purpose now. This was frustrating, but she _was_ an alpha so he had to show some respect.

"I don't know what?" he asked, attempting to diffuse any frustration in his voice.

"When we go hunting, we have to go alone. The chase, the kill—it gets all of our _nasties_ out. We sweat and sweat and our hormones work overtime. It's a volatile state for us and we are likely to pounce on an unclaimed beta."

Cas swallowed stiffly. "You…rape?"

"It's not really rape. Those sweat glands usually lower the betas inhibitions. Plus," Meg paused here to raise an eyebrow flirtatiously at Cas, "We always hunt alone unless a beta _asks_ to come with."

"Why would they ask?"

Meg's smirk grew exponentially now. She took a deep breath and Cas suddenly noticed a scent coming from her. He inhaled a few times.

"If the beta feels horny," she continued.

"Like having horns? Do hunters grow horns?"

Meg laughed. "What? No! I mean if they want to mate. For pleasure."

"Why would you do that?"

"Oh, my. You don't—herds don't—" Meg was suddenly speechless. The smell was fading already. "Herds don't mate for fun?"

Cas shook his head. "I don't think so? I've never done the act but as far as I know, it's done only for breeding."

"What a shame!" Meg gasped. "You are really missing out. You know…"

She was about to continue, but Cole butted in. He must have been listening to them.

"He's not interested in you," the alpha male said. He had a raw animal fur in one hand and a blunt knife in the other. "Can't you tell?"

Meg scoffed. "I'm not trying to claim him!"

"Well it sure as hell looked like it!"

"I'm done. This is stupid."

Meg snorted at Cole and walked away. She returned to one of the wagons angrily.

"Sorry," Cole apologized.

"Um. That's fine. I don't really understand what happened, but, all right."

"Ahh, she's testy. Each and every one of us has been temperamental after losing our mates."

"I don't blame you."

Cole slung the animal hide over his shoulder and stuffed the blade into a little pocket on his pants. "Guess you're waiting for Dean, huh?"

"Actually I was going to wash down at the river." Cas gestured to the basket of clothes. "I just happened to notice Dean was gone."

"He'll be back. Surprised you didn't go with him."

"No, but I'll be here tonight for the festival."

"I'll see you then."

Cas said farewell and went down to start the chores he intended. Washing took most of the day. It was so hot out but the river was cool. He ended up taking a dip, too, hoping that he would be clean enough for their Summer festival.

He still didn't see Dean until the sun was going down and he went back to the pack for the event to begin.

There were three fires now—two with cauldrons over them and a grand one in the center that a large meat was roasting on. Cas contemplated what his herd thought when they smelled it.

"Hey, Cas!"

Dean's voice called out from one side of the bonfire. He was tending to the meat. Cas ran up to him and smiled.

"Hello, Dean. You seem to be very busy."

"Yep! Look at this deer I caught. Pretty great, huh? Do you wanna try some later?"

"I will."

Cain appeared and greeted Cas warmly. "I'm glad to see you here," he said. There was a cup in his hand. "I hope you stay and enjoy yourself. This is a great gesture of hospitality. You've been very nice to us."

"Oh, I suppose," Cas said, trying to be humble. He noticed a strong, fruit aroma coming from Cain's cup. "What is in there?"

"Just some wine we've heated and spiced."

Cas blinked. "Wine?"

Here, Dean joined back into the conversation. "Yeah, wine," he explained. "A dizzy-drink made from grapes."

Cas stared at Dean as if he had two heads. "A what from _what_?"

"Grapes likely can't grow in this area," Cain said. He took a sip of his wine. "What a pity."

"Damn! You all don't have dizzy-drinks?"

Cas shook his head. "I don't think so?"

"You gotta try it!"

Dean was clearly in his element as a playful and almost goofy side of him was showing. He ran to one of the cauldrons and signaled for Cas to follow, which he did. There, they got two more cups and filled them with a dark, warm liquid.

"Take a little sip," Dean instructed as he handed a cup to Cas.

The beta stared down into the wine with an uncertain frown. It smelled good but it was also very different. Trying to be polite, he closed his eyes and sampled some. It had a strong, fruity taste but also quite bitter. It wasn't as sweet as he expected. The taste lingered on his lips.

"It's good," he said.

"Yeah?"

Dean looked excited to hear Cas' response. He took a big sip from his own cup and smacked his lips. "We make this stuff at every festival night. Your herd really doesn't have anything like it?" Cas shook his head. "Do you smoke any herbs?"

"Tobacco."

"You don't have love herb?"

Cas tilted his head. He had another sip of wine. "What is that?"

"It's this plant we found that we smoke in Spring. Makes the nasties come out."

"There is that word again," Cas said, basically thinking aloud.

"What?"

"Nasties. Meg said it earlier."

Dean took Cas over to where Cain's stools were. They were in a circle around the large fire. "Sit," Dean said calmly, pointing to one. Cas squat down on it and Dean joined him. "What did Meg say?"

"She told me that you were out hunting," Cas began somewhat timidly, since the conversation was a questionable topic, "And that I shouldn't follow you. She explained that hunting makes your _nasties_ come out and you want to mate."

"True," was all Dean said. Cas took a sip of his wine and looked at the alpha with concern.

"Isn't that a serious thing?"

"It is and it isn't. If you don't want to get fucked, don't follow a hunter on a hunt."

"Fucked?"

"Mated. Bred."

"Oh. Um, right…I have a few more questions, about that."

Dean smirked. He looked at Cas in the corner of his eye but kept his main sight on the roasting meat. It smelled amazing. Cain was tending to it now while Rowena spoke with him, clearly in a flirtatious manner.

"Meg says that you mate to bred but also for fun," Cas strained to say, "Is that true?"

"Well, yeah. You don't?"

"I've never mated and as far as I've been told, we only do that when we want to breed."

Dean suddenly appeared to be deep in thought. He nursed his wine and said nothing for a while, and Cas was respectful of that.

Before any other words were exchanged, Cain announced that the meat was ready. Everyone in the pack came around to the fire with plates and bowls while Cain cut the deer up and dished it out. Dean told Cas to join. He handed him a bowl.

"I'm interested to see what you think!" Cain bellowed as he dropped a hearty slab of meat into Cas' bowl. It was intimidating.

"Ah…"

Cas didn't know what to say. Dean got his meat and pulled him away to the third cauldron. It has some sort of thick soup bubbling in it. "This gets drizzled over the meat," he said, taking up a ladle. He poured it over his own and then offered some to Cas. Once their food was prepared, they went back to the stools at the fire. Abaddon was sitting there, too.

"Hey," she said, mostly to Cas. He saw the pink eggs in her arms.

"Hello…"

"So you're converting to hunter, huh?"

"Not exactly," Cas said. "I'm still part of my herd."

"Do they want you?"

This made him sigh. "I'm not sure," he said softly. Abaddon looked sympathetic.

"Hey, hey," Dean said. "Tonight is about fun. Don't spoil the mood."

"Right," Cas answered.

He observed Dean to learn how they eat the messy meat. The alpha would dip his fingers into the gravy-soup and lick it off, then he'd go back into it and tear bits of meat off. It was so messy. Cas was embarrassed to be so sloppy, but he looked around and saw that everyone else was doing the exact same thing. He tried a little bit of the gravy. It was salty, heavy and delicious. He wasn't going to ask how they made it.

"Try the meat," Dean said.

" _Right_."

He used both hands to separate a piece. Clear juices ran out and mixed with the gravy. Cas wasn't sure if it looked good or not, but he popped the little piece into his mouth and chewed. It was savory. The flavor was strong. Combined with the gravy, it was actually pretty good. Dean and Abaddon were both watching him in anticipation.

"So?" Dean asked.

Cas swallowed. "It's good."

"Ha!"

As they kept feasting, Cas noticed the people were shifting. Meals were being finished and the bowls were replaced with instruments. There were drums made from animal skins, rattles with pods from plants Cas had never seen and Cole had a large gourd that had been converted into a guitar-like object.

"What is going on?" Cas asked Dean.

"We're going to play music. We eat until we're full, drink until we're dizzy and then we dance and play music to celebrate the Summer. Herds don't do anything like that?"

"No, not at all," Cas said. He looked at the people with wide wonder. "We have drums that he bang sometimes on birthdays but that's all."

"What do you do when the new season comes?"

"Prepare for what we must."

"Boring!" Dean yelled. "Come here. Come and dance with me."

Cas suddenly felt embarrassed. Dean had jumped to his feet and offered both hands to him. He had never danced before.

"Come on, we're all gonna do it."

Even Abaddon had gotten up and wandered over to Cain, still holding her eggs but she swayed beside him. Rowena, free from childrearing, was undulating wildly, smiling at Cain. He stood his ground and watched the ladies around him.

"Come on," Dean said once more.

Cas swallowed his pride and joined Dean around the fire. There seemed to be many ways to dance, especially since the music was a bunch of clattery rhythms and nothing more, but Dean just wanted to sway. He put his arms around Cas' waist and rocked him.

"Oh!" Cas gasped when Dean touched him. They were face to face now. Cas' cheeks were growing quite hot, even on top of the fire's glow.

"What? This is how we do it."

Dean watched Cas with calm, peaceful eyes. They rocked back and forth for some time and Cas found himself swaying a good amount. That dizzy-drink really had an effect on him. He started to giggle.

"What's up?" Dean asked, also smiling.

"It feels good," said Cas.

"What?"

"Being free. Being happy. This is so much better than anything my herd has done. Look how joyous your people are!"

Dean laughed again. "Yeah, I think so."

The music eventually faded and a strong, sweet smell permeated the air. Cas sniffed.

"What is that?"

Dean looked over to Cain, who was smoking a small, rolled up leaf. Abaddon and Rowena were practically climbing on him now.

"Love herb," said Dean. He suddenly looked grumpy. They stopped dancing. "Time to clean up."

"It's over already?" Cas asked.

Dean began to hurry around and pick up the empty bowls, cups and plates. His demeanor had shifted drastically. Cain and his betas disappeared into a wagon. It looked like the others were cleaning up, too.

"Dean, wait."

"Huh?"

The alpha paused and looked up at Cas.

"Why are you angry?"

"I'm not angry. I'm just…well I guess I'm just bitter."

"Because you aren't mating tonight?"

Dean froze. Cas saw his upper lip twitch, but then he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm himself down. His voice attempted to steady itself.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Cas apologized. He went to reach out and touch Dean, but the alpha was back to cleaning up swiftly.

"It's okay. I'm being unreasonable but _still_."

"The rest of your herd lost their mates, too. So you're all in it together."

Dean nodded. He put the dishes into a basket. "You're right. But think about the rest of the packs and herds out there?"

"Don't worry about it. I thought tonight was about fun?"

"You're right," Dean repeated. He smiled at last. "And it was fun. I wanna thank you for coming, this was great. You made me feel good."

Cas blushed. "It's no problem. I like experiencing new things. Like you said, even if we only talk for two days, we'll remember it forever. But…mm…I'm tired, so I'll be going home now."

Dean nodded. "All right, take care. See you tomorrow?"

"Yes. Happy first day of Summer."

Dean waved as Cas walked away. "You, too."


	7. Chapter 7

Cas was so elated when we returned to his home that he didn't even realize the scornful glares he got from the herd. His head was swimming from the dizzy-drink and his heart was full of butterflies. When he curled up into his nest, he closed his eyes and saw Dean.

"Mm…Dean…"

He couldn't help but wonder how it felt to mate. All of his life, he had known it as an act to impregnate and nothing more, but after Dean's description he was incredibly curious. Why didn't anyone ever tell him that it felt good? Maybe that's why they had general hostility against Cas being unmated—they thought he was a prude who knew no pleasure.

It didn't matter. Nobody's opinion made a difference because he was friends with Dean now, and there was an obvious attraction between the two.

If it hadn't been for the wine, Cas probably would have been up all night. Instead, he passed out while yearning for Dean and woke up in a great sweat. The weather and grown even hotter. He felt miserable.

"Eugh…"

Cas sat up and tossed his covers away. His nightclothes were damp. Hunger was there but he really needed to get into the water, so he got a jar of washing oil and headed down to the river.

A few of his herd members were in the water, splashing around and laughing, but as soon as Cas appeared the fun died and they left.

"Um, good morning…"

Cas' quiet, low voice was completely ignored.

Bartholomew and Naomi glared at him as they scooped up their children and quickly walked away from the river. There was nothing Cas could do so he gave himself a sigh, undressed and got in.

It was wonderfully refreshing to hit the cool water after waking up so hot. He relaxed into it and made sure to get his hair wet, too. The concern of his herd dismissing him didn't matter as long as he had the river running around him. It was higher than normal today.

"Hey! Cas!"

He snapped out of his relaxation and saw Dean at the surface, grinning down at him. He was shirtless. Cas stared.

"Oh! H-Hello, Dean…how are you?"

"I feel great. The festival was awesome last night. Thanks for coming."

Blushing, Cas rose somewhat from the water and smiled. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Don't mention it. But hey, it's pretty hot, isn't it?" Cas nodded. "I thought maybe…thought maybe I'd take your offer up and bathe with you after all."

"Of course," said Cas. "You're welcome to join me."

Dean smirked and took his pants off. Cas' eyes immediately swept across his body, drinking in every inch that was visible. The fine hair that grew over his pectorals faded across his stomach and trailed thinly to his crotch. There, it puffed up into a decent nest that framed a very large penis. Cas couldn't pull stop staring until Dean got into the water and the sight was too warped beneath the river's surface.

"I know we have different cultures," Dean began, speaking softer than before, "So you need to know how important it is that I'm washing up with you."

"I assumed as much," said Cas. "You were so angry at me when I first appeared and offered to bathe with you."

Dean frowned. "I-I know, and I'm sorry. It's just, see, hunters only bathe with someone they're interested in. It's a sign of affection."

"Ohh…"

Cas' face grew incredibly red now. Dean swam close to him and that pervasive smell of his pheromones engulfed his senses. It was unclear if Dean was aware of his own scent.

"I guess what I'm trying to say," Dean whispered, with about a foot between them now, "Is that I want to pursue you."

"Pursue?" Cas asked timidly. The smell was so strong he could barely stand it.

"Yeah, y'know—fight to claim you."

"There's a fight?"

"Usually."

Hesitating greatly, Cas reached out and touched Dean's arm. His muscles were firm. "You don't need to fight for me," he whispered.

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"No?"

"No."

Cas didn't know what would happen next. His great blue eyes stared back at Dean with his lips slightly parted, nostrils flared to take in his scent and his heart racing. Dean leaned forward and touched his mouth right against Cas', touching him so light and so gentle that Cas couldn't believe the tenderness.

It was a beautiful moment. They held their lips together as the water flowed around them quietly. Cas placed his hands on Dean's chest and Dean put his arms around Cas' waist. A first kiss could not be more perfect.

"Ah…"

When Dean retracted the kiss, Cas let out a whimper of disappointment. He was embarrassed that he couldn't kiss any better.

"Dean, I…"

"Hm?"

Dean was beaming with confidence. It almost made Cas feel bad since he was so inexperienced.

"I have questions…"

"Yeah, I bet. Go ahead. I'll do my best."

With his hands loosely gripping Dean's chest, Cas breathed short and wrinkled his forehead. He shouldn't have felt nervous but the feeling was impossible to stifle.

"There's a certain scent that you have," Cas began, "I don't always smell it, but…but when I do," he paused here to take a deep breath, "It's…"

"My sweat glands," Dean answered.

"Is it?"

"Yeah. Your people don't have them?"

"I'm not sure. I've never smelled anything like it before."

"As far as I know, it's just an alpha thing. When I get aroused, these glands under my arms and down near my asshole make a little scent that betas like."

"Does everyone in your pack like that smell?"

"They don't usually smell it."

Cas pressed his lips together. "Oh."

"But I guess you do, huh?"

The beta nodded. He had to stop himself from rambling on about the extent he simply _adored_ Dean's scent.

"It makes me feel funny."

"Funny how?"

"Funny I can't describe."

"Horny?"

"Maybe."

Dean pulled Cas closer. His hands were commanding and firm but also full of care. Cas was almost growing dizzy from the pheromones.

"Funny like you want to mate?"

" _Maybe_ ," Cas breathed out.

"Maybe, as in…"

Cas took a deep breath quickly. He squeezed at Dean's chest and let out a moan when he released.

"Yes!"

Dean must have been dying to hear Cas' consent, since he reacted _immediately_ to his approval. He turned Cas around pulled his back up against his own chest. Cas let out a cry from surprise. He could feel Dean's big, hard cock right against his backside.

"D-Dean?"

"You said yes," Dean growled into Cas' ear. He moaned a few times as his hips positioned his cock right between Cas' cheeks.

Overwhelmed, Cas tipped his head back and inhaled Dean's scent some more. It was good and strong, and it sent tiny waves of pleasure rippling throughout his body. Nothing had felt this incredible, and they hadn't even begun!

"You're wet," Dean whispered.

"We're in the river."

"No, your hole. It's wet."

"Is it?"

Cas tried to react with surprise but the pheromones had him in an altered state. He felt light headed but good and decided to push his ass back against Dean's movements. Dean retorted by touching his dickhead right to Cas' hole.

"OH!" Cas yelped. He felt himself opening up at the touch. It was incredible and bizarre and the greatest feeling of his life. How did nobody tell him about this?"

" _Cas_ ," Dean moaned into the beta's ear, entering him now.

Cas' entire body buckled as his hole was stretched, but all of his nerves were being toyed with and he could barely contain himself. He reached back to grab onto Dean. It was lucky they were in the water or else he wouldn't be able to stand up.

"Feel good?" Dean whispered. He nuzzled hard against Cas' cheek, diving his cock deep into him now.

Cas opened his eyes wide and let cry after cry out; deep groans of his struggle with understanding the sensations. Dean's member was long and fat. His body had such fine muscle tone that he could firm up his abs and hump Cas' ass relentlessly. The waist-high water was splashing up around them. Cas nearly convulsed at the pleasure.

" _S-so good_ ," he stammered, closing his eyes now.

Dean pressed his nose into the nape of Cas' neck and inhaled, all the while he fucked him like a jackhammer. "You smell nice, too," he whispered.

" _Aah_ ," was all Cas could reply with. "I—feel—nngg—D-Dean, what's happening?"

His crotch grew red hot as Dean's amazing thrusts continued. Cas gasped and cried out from the all-consuming pleasure.

"You're gonna come, I bet," Dean said.

"Come where?!"

"Just come. Just—ahh—just—mm—just enjoy it!"

Dean gave Cas particularly rapid thrusts to help him get through his first orgasm. Cas opened his eyes wide and screamed at the sudden peak of pleasure. Spit ran down his mouth. His arms, reaching backwards to touch Dean, scratched into the alpha's sides. His entire body trembled and he felt like maybe he had died.

The experience was so overwhelming that he failed to hear Dean's tight whisper, " _I'm breeding you_." It occurred to him once their mating slowed and Dean pulled his flaccid cock out of him.

"Oh…oh, my…"

Cas' numb body struggled to head to the edge of the river. Dean helped tow him along.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked. He looked tired but also incredibly pleased with himself.

"Yes…"

Cas climbed out of the water and sat on the bank. Dean joined him. The pheromones were fading.

"So that's what it's like to mate," Dean said, chuckling. "Now are you sure your people don't do it just for fun?"

"I have no evidence of it aside from this experience…ooh…"

"Mm," Dean hummed. He looked over at Cas with a smile. "I really care about you, Cas. Never thought a gatherer could do that to me, but damn."

"I'm glad," Cas said with a happy sigh. He rested his head against Dean's shoulder. "I don't care what my herd says. And…and I hope that I'm still fertile."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, me, too."


	8. Chapter 8

They stretched out on the river bank and let the sun naturally dry their naked bodies. Cas hesitated, but he reached out and slipped his fingers through Dean's hand.

"You have strong hands," Dean said with a smile.

"I work hard. My house, my furniture, my tools…I've made everything."

"That's really impressive. I guess I picked well!"

"Hm?"

Cas turned on his side.

"My mate," Dean elaborated. "I picked a great one."

Cas already knew that being bred by Dean meant they were a mated pair now, but actually hearing him utter the words gave him butterflies.

"Ah," Cas hummed, closing his eyes, "We're mates."

"And I'm not letting anything happen to this one."

Once they were sufficiently dry, they put their clothes back on and headed into the herd's settlement. Cas invited Dean in for something to eat.

"What d'you have?" asked Dean.

"Right now, just nuts and seeds. But I can go around back and get some cucumbers, herbs, onions and peppers to make a better snack. You can wait here."

"Sounds good."

Cas got his basket and left Dean to rest on a pad at the table. He went back into the hot morning sun and around to the gardening lot behind his home. While he was picking ripe foods, he was approached by Gabe.

"Heya, Castiel?"

"Yes?"

"Heads up, they saw what you did."

Cas turned and looked at Gabe. He was standing there with his clutch held close to his chest and a sad frown. "What? Who?" Cas asked, hoping it wasn't what he thought.

"You mated with that hunter."

"Oh…"

Quickly, Cas snapped his head back around to the cucumber plant he was tending. He gently plucked off a firm one and dropped it into his basket.

"Cas?"

"Next, I suppose you'll tell me that the herd is kicking me out."

"Uh, _no_ , actually. They're pretty mad, though. But I'm not."

Cas paused.

"You aren't?"

"Why would I? I think I misjudged this Dean guy. He's nice to you, yeah?"

"So far."

A thin smile grew on Cas' lips. He put down his basket and pressed both hands to his stomach. It was clear to Gabe what he was thinking about.

"Guess you're gonna have eggs with him, aren'cha?"

Cas said nothing, but he continued to smile and nod.

"I'll give you my best advice," said Gabe. "Sometimes it takes more than one try for it to happen. That was the big mistake that Dreel and I made and why it took us so danged long to have these little fellas." He bounced the eggs lightly. "We were breeding just once every spring with no success. Then we tried it a couple of times in a row and I finally got pregnant."

"Ah," Cas sighed. "That's good to know. I wonder if I'm even fertile."

Gabe shrugged. "You'll be fuckin' lucky if you are."

This made Cas frown on the inside, but he was so happy at the prospects of being mated that it couldn't shake his smile.

"How long does it take until you know?" Cas asked at last.

"Only a few days. Those eggs get put together really fast! It surprised me. Y'know, they do most of their growing once they're born. _But_ then they're eggs for, what, three moons?"

"I think so."

"Welp, let me know if you feel eggs in you. But I think you should try to breed a few more times before you get too anxious. See ya."

"Wait."

Gabe froze before he started walking away.

"Tell me something," Cas began, "Is mating enjoyable?"

"Uhhh…"

Gabe stared at Cas rather dumbfounded. He clicked his tongue while he searched for an answer. "It's okay, I guess? I dunno? I never thought about it. Why?"

Cas shook his head. "I was only curious. It's fine. I'll talk to you later."

"Erm, okay, then. See ya…"

After he left, Cas finished gathering vegetables and returned to the house. Dean was resting on his back with his arms folded behind his head. He sat up when Cas came in.

"Took you a while," Dean said.

"I know. I was talking to Gabriel."

"Part of your herd, I guess?"

"Yes. Probably the only part who is still speaking to me."

Cas went to the stone slab and began to cut up the cucumbers and peppers. Dean was going to crawl over there but Cas stopped him.

"Please," he said, "It's my job as a beta to do these things. Wait at the eating table for me."

Dean grinned. "That's right," he said softly. "I've been sharing the burden since the storm. I sorta forgot how nice it is to have a mate."

Cas flashed a wide smile to Dean then went back to his cooking. He mixed everything into a wooden bowl and brought it to the table, where he joined Dean. They ate with their hands.

"This is our first meal together as mates," Cas said proudly.

"D'you want our second one to be meat?"

Cas nodded. "I'd like that."

"I'll catch something later that we can have. I'll teach you about preparing red meat so you can do it by yourself."

"That's thoughtful of you. Thank you, very much."

After they finished eating, Dean thought it would be proper to alert is pack that he had taken Cas as his mate. They went over to the wagons together.

"Cain, could I talk to you?" Dean asked the alpha leader. He was busy with more woodwork.

"Mm, certainly. I haven't seen you since early this morning. Where have you been?"

"Well, it's just that—I've been with Cas."

The beta smiled shyly from behind Dean's back. Cain raised an eyebrow.

"You two are getting along very well," he mused.

"Uh huh. That's why I'm here. I want to tell you about it."

Cain paused. His eyes fell back to the chunk of wood he was carving. "Go on."

Dean took a deep breath and looked to Cas. Before he had the chance to announce it, Cole came running up between them.

"Where the hell have you been?" the smaller alpha yelled.

"Hey, cool it," said Dean. Cain busied himself with his work and Cas remained behind Dean.

"You were supposed to bring back fish, but all I see is _Cas_. What have you been doing with Cas?"

Dean laughed softly. "Please don't try what you're trying."

Cas was confused. Dean made extra space between himself and Cole and showed both of his palms. Cole frowned. He sniffed.

"Who gave you the right?" Cole growled. He hunched over aggressively. Cas was still very, very confused.

"You know I'm second potent to Cain," Dean stated rather proudly. "It's pretty stupid to keep that up."

"Dean, keep what up?" Cas asked, tugging at the hem of Dean's shirt.

"Stand back," Dean whispered to Cas.

"What? I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"DON'T CARE!"

Cole suddenly yelled and lunged right towards Dean. They slammed down onto the ground and began wrestling wildly. Cas covered his mouth with his hands.

"Dean! Cole! S-stop that! Stop that right now!"

"SON OF A BITCH!" Dean chocked. He kicked Cole in the stomach and tossed him on to his back, but just as he tried to get up, Cole steadied himself and swung at Dean.

"Stop it!" Cas screamed. He looked at Cain urgently but saw that he was still calmly whittling away. "Stop! Help!"

Punches were thrown and both of the men were becoming gradually beat up. Cas had tears running down his face and he had no idea what to do. Why were they fighting? Why was Cole even angry? _Why wasn't Cain reacting?!_

"STOP IT!"

Cas cried out and threw himself between the two. He clung to Dean's side and tried to pull him away, but Cole was thrashing at him so violently that he missed and kicked Cas right in the stomach. The fighting immediately stopped.

"You asshole!" Dean shouted. He delivered his coup de grace right at Cole's face and sent the man down to the ground, bleeding from his nose. Perhaps vying for some attention, Luci came running out from behind one of the wagons with his eggs in a basket and aided Cole's injuries. Dean, however, went straight to help Cas.

"Ooh," Cas groaned, clutching his stomach. Dean was positively pale-faced.

"Cas? Are you— _they_ —okay?"

Cas tried to dismiss what Dean said. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he coughed. "Just…why? Why did that happen?"

Dean put his arms around Cas and did his best to comfort him. "I told you to stand back," he said. "This what we do."

"I don't understand…"

Cain must have been listening, since he stood up at that moment and joined the conversation.

"Alphas have to earn their mates," he said rather matter of factly. "Whether it's convincing the beta that they're the best genetic match or kicking the shit out of any other alphas. Dean was merely protecting his title."

Cas' lower lip wiggled. He pushed out of Dean's embrace.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"You—you _are_ savages!" Cas yelled. "I should have known!"

"Wait, Cas…"

"Who does that? Who fights for a mate? I did this—all of _this_ ," he gestured to his stomach here, "Because I like you as a person, not as a, a, am _asshole_ who beats up others!"

"It's not like that! You don't understand."

Cain was still there. He let out a long sigh. "Don't worry about it," he said. "We're leaving tomorrow anyway."

Both Cas and Dean stopped their fussing. They turned to Cain and both asked for clarity.

"This herd doesn't like us and the weather is poor. Dean, don't you remember how hot it was before that storm came? This heat is similar. We're going to head south."

Dean frowned.

"You'll have to pack up," Cain said. "We will leave in the morning."

"I'm staying."

Cain blinked. "What was that?"

" _I'm staying_ ," Dean repeated. "I don't care. Maybe we're savages and we're assholes, and maybe this herd hates us. But I don't care. I _do_ love Cas and I'll tolerate anything to be with him."

"Very well," was all Cain answered with.

He turned away and went into one of the wagons. Luci was dabbing a wet cloth on Cole's face to sop up the blood, but for the most part they were silent.

"So?" Dean asked Cas, who still looked somewhat standoffish. "Does that earn me any points with you?"

Cas closed his eyes tightly. He threw himself into Dean's arms and hugged him tight. "It does. Thank you."


	9. Chapter 9

"Or uh, or do you want to come with my pack?"

Dean kept his hands on Cas' arms as he gazed into his eyes. The beta shook his head.

"I think my herd will warm up to us eventually."

"You do?"

"Yes," Cas said with a nod. "Gabe is already leading that. The rest will follow, I'm sure."

Dean smiled. "All right, then. I can live with that."

"But the heat? Is it true?"

"What?"

Dean went to one of the wagons and began getting his supplies. He didn't have very much.

"Cain said this is the same heat that came before the storm. Is it?"

"Heat's heat," Dean said with a shrug. "I don't know. It was hot before the storm, yeah, but it's been hot before. I think Cain is paranoid and I can't blame it. I'm worried, too, but I can't live my life like that. Storms that bad won't come back for…for probably forever."

Cas frowned. He offered to help Dean by carrying his wares. Dean handed him a quiver full of arrows, which he had never seen or heard of before, and a sack filled with tools. Cas happily carried everything back to his house. Dean followed with even more items—blankets, clothes, and some animal parts like teeth and bones. One inside Cas' house, he pointed to a space near the nest where Dean was welcome to keep his things.

"This is an awesome place to live, by the way," said Dean.

"Mm. Thank you. I've tried hard to make it so."

"Well you've done a great job."

Dean set down a sack of clothes then turned to Cas. He touched the beta's cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. Cas felt his body electrify at Dean's soft touch.

"Are you sad to leave your pack?"

"Kind of. But the pack that's here is different than how it was before the storm. I feel like I've already left it. Breaking away now doesn't feel as hard."

Cas blinked slowly and leaned against his mate more. He had too many opinions of things and wanted them all to stop rushing around in his head. When Dean put his arms around him, every restless thought settled and Cas was able to relax.

"For what it's worth," Cas mumbled against Dean's shoulder, "I love you, too."

"I know."

"Hm?"

Cas looked up at Dean with his blue eyes twinkling. Dean laughed.

"This is your first time but it's not mine. I've been around. I can read people, hunter or gatherer. You're pretty easy to understand."

"Oh!"

Cas flushed bright red. Was it so obvious? Dean nodded as if he could read his thoughts.

"Don't worry about it," Dean said coolly. "But hey, we're gonna have a nice meal today, huh?"

The beta nodded. Dean immediately broke off the embrace and began to put hunting supplies together. "I'll go catch something great and I'll show you how to prepare it. Now is a great time of year to find deer."

"Ah, then I'll—"

Cas stopped himself midsentence. He remembered what Meg had explained about hunting and how it made them horny. Compared with Gabe's advice on breeding multiple times, Cas thought he would join him. However, it might be more affective if he surprised Dean mid-hunt.

Dean looked to Cas while he put the quiver over his shoulder and took up a bow. "You'll…?"

"I'll just wait here, then," Cas lied quickly. He gave short smile and Dean returned it.

"Okay, no problem. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Goodbye!"

Dean walked out of the house but looked over his shoulder a few times at Cas. He smiled, but there was a gleam in his eyes that told Cas he may have been onto him.

Once he was gone, Cas gave him a fair head start but soon followed. As he walked through the settlement, it was apparent that the herd still wanted nothing to do with him. Scornful glances came this way at that, from alphas in their gardens and betas tending to their clutches. Their judgmental eyes burned, but Cas couldn't let it bother him. He reminded himself that they would understand in time.

Dean had walked deep into the woods. He held his bow with both hands as he dashed from tree to tree, an odd sense of focus over him. Cas was just close enough so that he could pick up on a faint trace of Dean's scent. Could Dean smell _him?_

Watching the man hunt was more fascinating than Cas expected. He had finely tuned tracking skills that were obvious to even the casual observer. Cas saw no animal for a while, but Dean was clearly picking up on something.

He would take a few steps, quiet but fast, with his head turning from side to side like a sprinkler, and his feet knew exactly how to avoid snapping twigs. Every so often he would pause and kneel down to examine the ground or a low part of a tree. Each time he did this, Cas froze and hoped that he wouldn't be seen. It surprised him that Dean never noticed.

At long last, there came a deer. It was a buck with large antlers—a creature that, despite its striking beauty, would have terrified Cas had Dean not been there. A shiver of fear still jolted down his spine, but he saw that the hunter was in complete control.

Now, his dance became more precise and detailed. Every move that Dean made was calculated. He did not run. He did not squat or turn too quickly. Tiny, careful steps carried him closer and closer to the unsuspecting buck, who was about as preoccupied with grazing as Cas was with watching his mate.

Then, Dean raised the bow, pulled an arrow from his quiver, lined up a shot and sent it flying. The oblivious deer was struck directly in the heart and fell down to his death within moments. Cas couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't have to know anything about hunting to tell that was a perfect shot!

With the need for stealth gone, Dean mounted his bow on his back and loudly ran through the brush to claim his prize. He squat beside the buck to retrieve his arrow, check to make sure was indeed dead, then started to wrap the legs together with a thin rope he had apparently brought. Cas didn't notice a particular rush of arousal, but he made himself known now.

"Dean?"

The alpha turned his head and shot a look right at Cas. He parted his lips and slowly got to his feet.

"That was amazing shot," Cas said humbly. "I hope you don't mind that I was watching."

Dean said nothing.

"Are you mad?"

Still no words. His face was intense but impossible to decipher. Regretting his decisions, Cas raised a hand over his mouth and whined the best that a low pitched voice can do.

"Am I in trouble?"

Dean was walking straight at him, as silent as ever with his stone-like face unchanged. He trudged up to Cas and opened his mouth more but refused to speak. Instead, held his tongue between his teeth and looked Cas over. This close, Cas could smell the pheromones. They were more intense than he had experience so far. In fact, he was growing dizzy from them.

As Cas attempted to steady himself, Dean suddenly sprang at him. This didn't knock them onto the ground, but rather against a tree. Cas' back slammed against it and he let out a groan of pain. Dean didn't seem to care right now. He had his hands on Cas' shoulders with his fingers digging into him.

"Nnnh—Dean—"

Cas struggled to speak as the scent was overwhelming. He felt his hole moisten and relax for entrance, begging to be touched more and more. Dean knew Cas' arousal. He fiercely turned the beta around and pulled down his pants. Cas was able to cling to that tree now. He bent over just enough to jut his ass out to Dean, who grabbed it roughly and mounted him at once.

"HOH!"

Cas let out a cry when Dean entered him with such great force. His thick, magnificent cock glided through him with surprising ease, filling Cas up with intense pleasure. He did his best to hold onto the tree, but his body was trembling beneath Dean's force, the intoxicating aroma of his pheromones, and the spine-tingling ecstasy that was mating.

Dean bent his knees and held Cas by the hips. He fucked him harder than the first time earlier, with quicker, stronger thrusts that, in Cas' mind, resembled the mating habits of rabbits or dogs. He couldn't believe how strong Dean was.

"Hhn—Dean—it's—good!"

Cas couldn't speak very well. Drool ran from his numb mouth and tree bark was scratching into his palms. Dean overpowered Cas, applying most of his weight against him as the fucking continued. Cas cried and cried with pleasure. He closed his eyes and arched his back more, feeling the entirety of Dean's member with him. A thin liquid dribble out of his own penis. He felt some embarrassment from that but the entire experience was too heart-stoppingly amazing that he couldn't be bothered to feel bad.

" _Caaa_ s _,"_ Dean finally uttered. His voice was throaty and full of desire, just a low whisper that cooed at the back of Cas' head. His breathing was rapid. The thrusting continued. Somewhere deep inside, Cas felt hot nerve endings being ramrodded so deliciously that his body was turning into pudding.

Then, finally, Dean's climax.

"CAS!"

His voice cracked as he screamed. Rope after rope of thick jizz pumped itself into Cas' innocent hole. Deans fingers had dug so hard into Cas' sides that his body was bleeding from small scratch marks. Cas didn't care. He felt too good. His dick, too, had ejaculated something clear and thin.

As soon as Dean's orgasm faded, he pulled himself out of Cas and tiredly sat on the forest floor. Cas collapsed against the tree. Dean's semen oozed out of him and the alpha suddenly shouted, "Stop! Keep it in!"

"Huh?"

Cas was so out of it that he didn't even feel it.

"Make sure it stays in ya!"

He tried to tighten his hole. Dean's come deserved to live within him. Hopefully he was going to make eggs now.

"Told you," Dean said, his voice less chaotic now, "Following me on the hunt means you get fucked."

"I know."

Cas pulled his pants up and turned around so he could see Dean. His face was bright red and his cock was still out, flaccid, sticky and beautiful. Cas liked how it looked, even as Dean held it gently in one hand and stroked his foreskin back and forth around it.

"I wanted to experience it."

"And?" Dean asked with a weak chuckle. "Everything you though it would be?"

"Oh, it was incredible! You—you— _bred me_ so hard! I couldn't believe it! And your smell? And my…my penis!"

Dean laughed aloud now. "Your penis? What about it?"

"Something came out, too!"

"Just a little squirting, I bet. The beta females do it from time to time. Or was it piss?"

Cas shook his head. "It was too clear and runny. The consistency was more like what oozes from you."

"Yeah, that's fine. You just had a great nut."

"Hm?"

Dean continued to laugh. "You're so cute. Come here."

Finally catching his breath, Cas crawled on his hands and knees to Dean's lap. It was too difficult to stand. Not yet.

"Do you feel like you have eggs in you?" Dean asked in a quiet voice. This made Cas chuckle.

"I know it happens soon, but not that much."

"Yeah, well, how does it feel? In your mind? Your heart?"

Cas closed his eyes with the smile still on his wide lips. He groped around for Dean's hand, which instantly took his fingers within its palm.

"I don't know," Cas said. "I don't know what I'm feeling for."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"Hope?" Dean suggested.

"Maybe."


	10. Chapter 10

"Once the skin is pulled off, we clean it and leave it to dry."

"It's a bit gross."

"You'll get used to it."

Dean and Cas were preparing the deer together. They were outside of the home and working on the ground.

"The skin's important. We can use the fur to make clothes, and they're _really_ useful in the snow."

Cas looked at Dean quizzically. " _Snow_?"

"Uh, yeah. Snow."

"What is that?"

Dean slowly set down the tool he was using to skin the deer and turned to Cas. "You don't know what snow is? Like in winter? The cold white stuff that freezes or turns into water?" Cas shook his head. "How cold does it get here in winter?"

"Cold enough to kill off most of the fruit. That's difficult. The grass doesn't grow. But…snow?"

"I guess it's not that bad inside the mountains. Where I'm from, winter gets pretty brutal. It snows and snow, which means nothing can grow. We gotta be careful with our livestock or they can die. And then, well, we hibernate…"

Dean had a feeling that Cas wouldn't know that word, and he was right. The beta shot another puzzled stare at him.

"Hibernating is when you sleep for days—weeks, even, sometimes."

Cas suddenly looked shocked. "That's possible?!"

"For us, yeah. But only if it's _super_ cold and we let our bodies feel it. We'll nestle up in our homes and sleep for a wicked long time."

"And you don't have to eat?"

"Nope, we sleep through it."

"That's so strange!"

Dean laughed gently. "I think it's strange that you all don't do it."

"I never realized how blessed we were in this place. I knew that it was special, but…"

"It's special for me, too." Dean leaned over and kissed Cas on the lips. "It's where I met my mate."

"Ohh."

Cas closed his eyes and inhaled rigidly. Dean's touch was very welcome. Even though they had mated twice now, a kiss from him still felt electric.

They continued to work on the deer until all salvageable parts were removed and the meat was ready to be cooked. Dean showed him how to salt and dry some of it to keep for later, while the rest was to be cooked over an open flame. Cas didn't worry about his herd being upset. They needed to get used to him and his mate cooking meet. For Gadreel and Gabe, this was already happening.

"Hail, Dean," Gadreel said in his usually calm voice. He and his mate approached the spit roast casually. Gabe had his eggs. "We see that you're preparing hunter's food."

"Yeah," said Dean. "You wanna join?"

The other couple looked at one another. Gabe grinned real wide and Gadreel gave a tiny nod.

"Very well," said the taller one, "Thank you."

Cas was most pleased with this. He missed interacting with his herd. It was nice for them to give his new lifestyle a chance.

"I wanna try this meat stuff," said Gabe. He sat on a rock carefully and nestle his eggs better into his lap. "Dreel says he will, too."

"Will you?" Cas asked to be sure. Gadreel looked mildly uncertain.

"Yes," he said. His voice was dry.

"Here ya go!"

Dean gave a cheer as he began to pull cooked meat off of the bones. Gabe was interested to watch but Gadreel seemed a little nauseated by it all. When the hunter gave him a plate of venison, he politely sampled it despite his clear disgust of the idea. Dean and Cas watched patiently.

"Well?" Dean asked.

Gadreel chewed on it with great care, his forehead wrinkled up in thought, then swallowed and said, "It's better than I had thought."

Dean laughed and touched Cas' shoulder. "See? They're all right!"

Gabriel was more excited to give it a shot, but he found the flavor to be too strong.

"Argh, and I thought it'd be good!" he groaned.

"It's okay," Dean told him, taking the meat back. "I bet there's some sort of animal out there you'd enjoy. Deer does tend to be strong."

"Blah."

He was grumpy now, especially when he was Gadreel, who was so adamantly against it at first, enjoy himself. But everyone had a good chat and a laugh, and by the time evening was rolling in, there were no frowns.

"We are going to sleep now," Gadreel said as he stood up. The fire glowed on his face. "Tomorrow, we will harvest the wheat."

"Thanks for everything!" Gabe exclaimed, joining his mate and waving.

"Goodbye," Cas told them both.

"Take care," said Dean.

After their guests left, Dean and Cas brought everything inside and also began to unwind for the night. Cas got some water he was keeping in a bowl and washed his mouth out while Dean was going through his belongings.

"Since we're basically our own little pack down," said the alpha, "Could you help cut my hair?"

"Of course."

Dean had a small pair of metal scissors that he handed to his mate.

"Oh!" Cas hummed loudly as he took them. "This is nice metal! Where did it come from?"

"My pack used to work with it. We had a few mines near our settlement."

"Incredible! Did you make money out of it? I know the scissors and razors that we bought from caravaners was incredibly priced."

"Nah, we never sold it. The work put into mining it was so much and so dangerous that we just had enough for our own use."

"Ah, I see. That makes sense."

Dean sat down and Cas squat behind him with the scissors in his hand. He had cut other's hair before so it was nothing new, though Dean liked it quite short. It took a little while and by the time he was done, they were exhausted.

"I'm going to share my nest with someone," Cas mused to himself softly as he prepared the sleeping area. Dean undressed completely and sat down into the nest.

"I kinda wish it was my first time, too," he said.

"I don't care."

Cas eyed Dean's incredible body while he disrobed, too. He politely sat next to him and they embraced.

"No?" Dean asked.

"No."

They shared a few kisses and lay down. Cas faced Dean and hooked a leg around his. Dean smiled.

"I do love you," the alpha whispered. "With all my heart. You're a good guy. Sweet, intelligent…"

"Oh, Dean, I love you so…"

One of Dean's hands came down to Cas' stomach and gently touched him there. "Let's hope…"

"Yes, indeed."

It didn't take very long and they were both asleep

* * *

The following morning was hotter than before. Nobody slept well. The air was soupy with humidity and the sun, which hadn't even raised much yet, was already too hot.

Cas and Dean immediately went down to the river upon waking up. They stepped inside the cool water together and enjoyed it before starting their day. When they passed the pack's wagons, Dean noticed that they were urgently preparing to leave.

"Are you heading out now?" Dean asked Meg.

"Mm. Cain says it's going to storm."

Cas felt his nerves jump.

"And how does he know?" Dean snapped.

"The heat. The air. He says it feels like the before and we aren't taking chances. But…"

Meg looked at both Cas and Dean. She smiled sadly.

"But Cain wants to leave one of our wagons with you, in case you decide to follow us."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. We're going to mark our way with pennants bearing the mark of the Pastures. If you want to follow…you'll have a safe route."

"Mark of the Pastures?" Cas asked.

"The sign that represents where we've come from," said Dean. "They're on our wagons."

Dean pointed to a sign above the rear entrance to one of them. Cas hadn't noticed before, but there was a triangular flag that had a red flag with a green light painted beneath it.

"Oh," Cas hummed. "I see. But…Meg, do you…think…"

"No idea," she said. "But we've decided to leave so we're going to."

The pack was in a bit of a panic, clearly. The betas with eggs were nowhere to be seen, while everyone else scurried about the place and packed things into their wagons. Dean offered his assistance but they didn't want it. They had a small pack and waited for the pack to head out.

"Dean?"

Cain took the alpha aside.

"We're still going to stay," Dean replied instantly. "Thanks for the wagon."

"To be fair, it is yours. You deserve to keep it. However…we would strongly encourage you to join us. Perhaps not now, but someday. You and your mate shall always be welcome within our pack."

"Thanks."

"We worry about the weather, though. I wish you would heed our warnings."

"I just don't think a storm could be that bad here, and what're the odds of another one coming here?"

Cain hesitated.

"We—believe—that maybe all of the land is to be struck by such a storm, and then not again."

"And what makes you think that?" Dean asked, sucking his teeth.

"We have had signs."

"You and your ladies?"

Cain nodded. Dean frowned.

"Well," the leader said quietly, "Good luck."

Dean gave a small sigh and turned away. He rejoined Cas and went back to their house.

"What about the wagon?" Cas asked as they walked.

"I'll get it."

"That's very generous of them, don't you think?"

Dean said nothing. He just sighed and groaned to himself. Cas was worried.

"Are you positive that you would rather stay here?"

"Yeah."

"Absolutely?"

"Mmhm."

Apprehensive, Cas collected some fruit for breakfast and they ate within the house. It was so terribly hot already that they wanted to minimize their time inside.

They day rolled on painfully. Dean was clearly bothered by his pack leaving, whether it be a potential storm of the secret desire to go with them, Cas did not know. It wasn't until the next morning that Dean's attitude changed.

"Dean! Dean! Wake up!"

Cas sat up and shook his mate awake.

"Mm…huh…whaa…huh?"

Dean blinked his heavy eyelids and looked up at Cas. It was another hot morning. The room was uncomfortable but Cas was smiling.

"Feel me!"

His low voice was pleasantly ecstatic. He had two hands on his stomach and left room for one of Dean's. The alpha touched him.

"I dunn gettittt…wutt'm I feelin'?"

"I'm with eggs!"

"AH!"

This snapped Dean awake instantly. He sat up now and touched Cas with both hands. He felt and felt, applying a gentle pressure as he tried to feel something inside. Just behind his navel, there was a bumpy feeling and Dean grinned.

"It is!" He yelped. "You're growing eggs! Holy shit! It's—hoh—it's gonna happen fast, now! They grow real, real fast! Oh, praise Chuck!"

They both stood up and embraced, exchanged wild kisses and many laughs.

"I'm still fertile," Cas uttered, tears of joy rolling from his eyes now. "We're going to have a family!"


	11. Chapter 11

The hot midday sun beamed down on the two remaining wagons with a vengeance. The pack was tucked away inside except for Cain and Meg, who were both guiding the horses. Cain nursed a pipe from beneath a wide-brimmed hat, casually holding the reins while Meg tolerated the heat in its entirety.

"I wish we could've brought them," she lamented across to the other wagon.

"We said we would honor his decision," Cain replied, not taking his eyes from the path ahead, "He chose to stay and so he will."

"It's unfair. _They_ don't like him, and _they_ don't even like Cas anymore." Meg bit her lower lip momentarily. " _We_ would embrace them both!"

"I know, I know," Cain grunted. He stole a quick glimpse at Meg then frowned. A puff of smoke came from his pipe. "I'm sure Dean knows what he's doing."

"Does he? Does he really?" Meg sounded a bit angry now, though not at Cain. "He was set up to be the leader after you! Who gives that up?"

"Love is a weird thing, Miss Meg."

"Eugh. Tell me about it."

They fell silent for a moment. Nothing more than the clatter of the four horses could be heard. They were out of the forest but still meandering through the valley, drawing closer and closer to the mountains. The pack had gone through them before, but never down to the south.

"I'm sorry," Cain finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry you lost your mate and I'm sorry Dean is gone." Meg remained quiet. "I do believe, however, that he will return to us."

Meg furrowed her brow.

"Really?"

"I _think_ so…but, but I also believe I won't see him again."

"That's no help at all!"

"I'm doing the best I can," Cain huffed. "Or, I can give no advice or predictions. I can stop asking God and stop interpreting the stars."

"No!" Meg instantly shouted. "We've relied it you to do that for too long! Please don't. _I'm_ sorry. I'll be good."

Cain let out a little laugh. "Oh, Meg. I would never stop. Especially if it were just because your sour disposition."

"Mm, thanks."

* * *

The next several days were grueling for everyone who was still in the Valley. The heat was unstoppable. Nobody enjoyed it. The river was lower than usual and that worried them, since there was almost always someone down there grabbing buckets of water for their crops, or wading in a desperate attempt to cool off.

The heat was particularly difficult for Cas, since the eggs were noticeably larger every day and he was uncomfortable due to them anyway. His hunger was relentless and every part of him hurt.

"Dean…I'm so hot…please…"

Cas was sprawled out on the floor of their house, nude except for a thin pair of underwear. Both hands rested on his slightly-protrusive stomach.

"There'll be fresh water real soon, I promise," Dean said calmly. He sat next to him on the floor and held his warm hand. Gabe was across from them with his eggs in his lap. He nodded in agreement with Dean but stayed silent.

It was lucky for the couple that Gadreel and Gabe remained on their side. Two extra people to assist with Cas' pregnancy was incredibly useful, especially when they had just endured egg laying.

"I want them _out of me_ ," Cas whispered.

"Only a few more days," Gabe said. "Those guys grow hella fast. That's why it hurts so much. But they'll be out before you know it."

"Urrrg, not soon enough!" Cas yelled.

"Shh," Dean tried to calm him down. There was no way getting that upset could be helpful to the babies inside him.

Gadreel soon returned with two buckets full of water. He brought them to Cas' side then joined Gabe. Dean took a smaller bowl and scooped some water out, then dipped a piece of fabric into it and wiped it across Cas' forehead. "Any better?" he asked.

"Some, yes, thank you…"

The day went on and Cas' body felt moderately better. His aches would come and go, thankfully, mostly with the time of day. Once the sun went down he would usually relax. He assumed that it wouldn't have been so cruel had the weather been better.

"I just want it to rain," Cas would sigh.

Well, he got his wish.

On the fifth evening of his pregnancy, the herd noticed storm clouds rolling in over the mountains. There was a visible relief to all except for Anna. Although everyone save for Gadreel and Gabe had completely avoided the hunter and his mate since they announced their eggs, Anna came around when the clouds were approaching.

"Um, Castiel?"

She entered the house with her eggs held close. Cas was sitting in their messy nest with Dean. Gabe and Gadreel were eating at the table. Not surprisingly, Cas worried when he saw Anna's face.

"Have you looked outside?"

Dean immediately got up when she said this, as did Gadreel. They joined her outside of the home and observed the clouds in the distance. Gadreel narrowed his eyes and began to speak, but Dean shouted over him.

"NO!"

"What?!" Anna asked, trembling now.

"It's bad!" Dean yelled. "That's bad!"

He suddenly worked himself up into a frenzy and ran back inside. "Bad! Bad storm's coming!"

"Huh?"

Cas watched Dean as he ran around the house, throwing anything he could grab into a bag. He looked at Cas sharply.

"This heat, that storm—there're clouds coming and I've seen them before. We have to go. We have to go _now_."

"But, Dean…it's just rain, I'm sure? The sky has been hot, rain always comes."

"NO! Damn it, Cas! Can't you tell when I'm being serious?"

Cas' lower lip wiggled. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We just—damn—we have to pack up real, real fast. Gabe, Gadreel, can you help?"

Unsure of whose opinion to take, the other mated pair went along with Dean's directions. They took their basic belongings, too, and put them into Dean's wagon.

"Thank Chuck they left me this," Dean said. He took Cas' hands and helped him up. "Be careful. I want you to get into the back of the wagon and stay there. Hopefully we have enough time to get into the mountains where it'll be safer."

" _They're far,"_ Cas sighed in a tiny, confused voice. He followed Dean's lead out into the wagon and sat into a crumpled mess of blankets which had been their nest. Gabe joined him while Dean and Gadreel still packed.

The sky grew darker. The storm was coming.

"You think he's right?" Gabe asked. The usual smirk on his lips was gone. Shadows from the wagon's covering and the clouds rolling in made him look strangely grave.

"I…I don't know," Cas whispered in response. He held his stomach and closed his eyes. "I don't know."

They watched out of the back of the wagon as Dean hurried about the place. He was yelling to the other gatherers but unfortunately, most of his words were ignored.

"I know this kind of storm! We've gotta move!" He shouted. " _Don't_ go on with your lives!"

" _We need the rain_ ," Cas heard a woman's voice say rather rudely.

"This isn't just rain! DAMN! How are you so stubborn?!"

Gadreel came into the back of the wagon now. He had his arms full of vegetables from the garden. He dropped them into one side and sat down, putting his arm around Gabe. "Don't be frightened," he said to him kindly.

"I'm not," Gabe responded, clearly feeling the opposite.

"Dean is strong and brave and intelligent," Gadreel continued. "I trust him with his decisions."

Cas was silent. He kept watching Dean desperately try to convince his herd to join him. It was useless except for Anna. She had her eggs and a small bundle of things as she walked to the wagon. Her bony face was even more sullen looking than usual.

"Where is Balthazar?" Gadreel asked. Anna climbed up into the wagon.

"He insists that Dean is wrong," she said softly. Her voice was timid.

"But, surely—you can't—you aren't going to leave him with the eggs, are you?"

Tears welled up into Anna's eyes.

"If Dean is wrong," she sniffed, "Then we will return to find our settlement unscathed. If Dean is right…"

Her voice trailed off here. Everyone knew what she was going to say, and uttering those words would only bring more pain. At this point, all was uncertain and it didn't do any good to jump to conclusions.

At long last, Dean got into the wagon. His face was filled with ire and frustration at the people.

"They won't come!" he snapped. "They won't listen! I'm sorry, Cas. But we have to go."

"I understand…"

Dean went to the front of the wagon and took control of the horses. They whinnied then began to trot. Cas held his stomach. He looked out of the back of the wagon and saw the approaching storm.

It appeared as though night had fallen suddenly. The heat was still there but the world held its breath. Cicadas ceased to buzz and birds refused to sing. Cas felt great sadness when he saw his people, the ones he had grown up with, still going about their day as if nothing extraordinary was going to happen. Had his herd always been this hardheaded?

When Dean turned the wagon south, Cas and Gabe both gasped. Between the trees, they had a terrifying view of the storm. Its ominous anvil cloud towered up above like a giant tidal, looming as if it would devour the entire land. Cas felt his heart race. He looked to Gabe and mentally confirmed that he felt the same. Gadreel stole a peek and hugged Gabe tighter, putting a kiss on his forehead. Anna wept silently onto her eggs.

"I can't," she suddenly whimpered. "I have to be with Balthazar."

She got to her feet and hobbled to the rear of the wagon, the bumpiness of the ride almost knocking her over.

"Don't be foolish!" Gadreel shouted. He glared at the woman. "You've already made your choice and he's made his! If you leave now, you risk your life!"

"I don't care…"

The woman jumped out of the back and tumbled to the ground. Cas let out a yell and Dean had the horses stop.

"What the hell?" Dean cursed.

With the wagon stopped, he left his post at the front and walked into the cabin.

"What just happened?"

"Anna jumped out!" Gadreel yelled, still angry.

" _What?!_ "

Cas put his hands over his face. He began to cry. "We don't have time for this!" he sobbed.

"It's okay," said Dean. His voice was hurried.

He, too, jumped out of the wagon. They were still in the settlement, but on the outskirts. Anna was getting up. Her knees were scratched and her hair was a mess but the eggs were unscathed.

"What are you doing?!" Dean yelled at her.

"I have to be with my mate! I change my mind!"

"You _idiot!_ You're fucking indecisiveness has lost us _really_ valuable time! The storm is going to hit and we'll still be stuck in its path!"

Cas, Gabe and Gadreel watched the two interacting. Cas was still crying. His head was spinning. Dean was right.

"I don't care!" Anna whined back at him.

She went running towards the village but Dean pursued her.

"Get back on the wagon!" he yelled. "We're going to save your life!"

"No! My mate!"

"Your mate is an asshole! You made the right choice for yourself and your _future family_ when you got on our wagon!"

"No!"

Their useless arguing came to a sudden halt when an enormous squall of wind rushed down from the storm. It silenced everything with its own deafening roar, bending trees that were never supposed to bend and kicked great clouds of dust up. The wagon shook and rattled. Cas let out a cry of desperation.

"DEAAAN!"

The alpha had been pushed over by the sudden burst of wind. It was still very strong but already appeared to have a rhythm to it. He struggled to get up and hold onto Anna, who had also tumbled once more.

"No!" she yelled at Dean over the hurricane-like gusts.

"IDIOT!"

An obvious chaos has broken out in the settlement. The herd was desperately scrambling to get into their houses and avoid the strong wind, but unfortunately, trees were starting to fall and crush many structures. Already, people were dying.

"COME WITH US!" Dean yelled. His voice was hard to hear. Anna sobbed and wailed as she thrashed, kicking Dean away.

Balthazar must have seen Anna jump from the wagon, since he was hurrying through the storm to meet her. He called out but couldn't be heard through the slices of wind. Anna saw him.

"Balthazar!" she exclaimed.

Dean's hold on her weakened and she ran to her mate. Rain began to fall now. It felt like shards of glass that cut through the wind, making it even more difficult to see. For Cas and the crew within the wagon, it felt like an apocalypse. But still the wagon stood.

"You ruined everything!" Dean yelled at the couple.

A great veiny flash of lightning dazzled the sky and a roar of thunder followed. Dean was crying angry tears now, bitter that his best intentions had failed. He braved the wind and rain and ran back to the wagon. He jumped inside the back, soaked already, and looked at Cas sadly. "It's just us, I guess," he muttered before going back to take the reins of the horses.

The animals were no doubt terrified yet they ran regardless. The wagon jumped and bounced wildly through the storm, sheltering them from the wicked rain and brutal wind. Miraculously, the wagon wasn't toppled.

Thunder and lightning continued. Cas, Gabe and Gadreel were muted by their own fear. It was amazing to see Dean still functional.

By the time they made it to the river, which normally seemed so close but in the storm felt miles away, the rain was more of a monsoon. It was flooding the river. The horses went through it very carefully, all the while thunder and lightning continued to wreak havoc across the sky. Luckily, the wind wasn't as heavy, though is still rolled through in squall lines.

Halfway through the river, Cas looked out of the back and saw Tessa, the black haired gatherer who had been so cruel to him when Dean arrived. She was waving one arm frantically while the other looked broken, trying to support her bundle of eggs.

"Dean!" Cas yelled to the front. He pointed to Tessa. "What do we do?"

The hunter turned his head around sharply and saw Tessa standing there. He sprang off of his steering post and ran through the wagon once more. "Take the reins, Gadreel," he said quickly as he jumped out of the wagon. Gadreel agreed and took Dean's spot. Gabe and Cas watched Dean.

He made a giant splash in the river. It was to his shoulders and rushing violently. That level was almost enough to carry the wagon away.

"Keep going!" Dean shouted over his shoulder. "It's filling fast! The horses won't be able to handle anything deeper!"

Trembling, Gadreel nodded and cracked the reins for the animals to continue. They splashed their way through the river as Dean swam further and further away. Cas wondered how he would get back.

"I'm sorry I doubted you!" Tessa screamed to Dean when he arrived.

"Shut up and hold onto my back."

CRACK!

More lightning and more rain. Tessa shivered.

"But my eggs," she cried. It was difficult to hear her over the rain and thunder.

"It's okay. Hold them close."

The beta climbed onto Dean's back and leaned against him for support. Her uninjured arm helped hold the bundle of eggs close to her, though river water inevitably touched them—it was all the way to Dean's neck, now. He had to swim back to the wagon. Lucky for him, Tessa was quite small.

The wagon had made it over the river but water still flooded the land. Branches kept flying this way and that, but most of the trees that would fall had already done so.

"Gadreel, stop!" Cas cried out. He saw Dean on his way back. "A few moments to let Dean catch up!"

Dean struggled to make it through the river. Tessa was sobbing and trying so hard to keep her eggs close, but the current was too strong. One of them was rushed away.

"NO!"

Her bloodcurdling cry did nothing to help Dean swim.

"Keep the rest close," he muttered, water stuffing itself down his throat. It sounded heartless, but they had no chance to find that egg. It was dead.

Within a few feet of the river's edge, Dean's head was nearly covered. Tessa was higher since she was on his back, and she could see the wagon better. Cas stepped out of the back.

"It's Castiel," she said to Dean.

"Tell him—wrr—tell him to—sta—stay insiidde—"

It was impossible. Dean was fighting a losing battle. Water lashed at his face like hands, desperate to pull him under. He felt his feet continuously slip out beneath him.

"Get—wrrggle—off now," he commanded to Tessa. "You can—mmrkk—rrt…"

The beta was released from Dean's back and nearly rushed down the river, but she threw herself with what strength she had left and landed on the mud on her back. The remaining two eggs were safe. She stumbled and ran to the wagon, where Gabe helper her inside, taking the eggs first. Cas, however, was running out and towards the river.

"He said to stay!" Tessa yelled at Cas.

"No!" Cas shouted back.

CRACK!

More lightning.

He saw Dean struggling to climb ashore. If he ran down there, he could help him. He could save him.

BOOM!

A giant tree came towering down between the river and where Cas stood. He put his hands over his stomach and jumped backwards. Dean was crawling out with his torso exposed now.

"DEAN!" Cas shouted to him.

"YOU GOTTA KEEP GOING!" Dean yelled. "I'LL CATCH UP! PROMISE! DON'T STOP!"

"No, Dean!"

Frozen in his muddy tracks, rain still beating down upon him relentlessly, Cas stared as the river surged and pulled Dean away from his progress. The water came so quickly that he didn't have a chance.

"DEEAAAAAAAAAAN!"


	12. Chapter 12

He was gone.

The storm pushed through the land quickly then moved on, just as Dean had.

"I'm really sorry," Tessa muttered to Cas.

Everyone was miserable, achy, terrified and exhausted. Gadreel kept the wagon going south in the hopes of finding a pennant from Dean's pack that they could follow.

"I underestimated him. We all did. I'm so sorry. If only we had…"

" _Enough!_ "

Cas' sudden scream made everyone jump.

"No, aah, sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just…no, I don't…I can't…"

Gabe offered Cas a piece of fruit from their supplies. "That's just the eggs talking," he said. "You'll feel better if you eat."

"I don't want to."

"Nu uh, you have to. You're upset but you gotta keep eating. Don't let your sadness blind what you need to do."

"Oh, you're right."

Cas gave a tiny sigh and began to eat. Gabe did, too, as did Tessa. It was a sad, forced meal since they knew the fruits and vegetables would only last so long. Nobody dare ask what they would do for food after a few days.

It didn't take very long until they found one of the pennants from Dean's pack. It was at the foot of the mountains, untouched by the storm. To Cas' surprise, the hike up the summit didn't appear quite as terrifying as it had from back in the settlement. Either way, it had to be well thought.

"Do we truly wish to leave the Valley?" asked Gadreel. "What of our herd? Perhaps there are more survivors."

"You saw the destruction," Tessa shivered. "I lived it. Nobody made it out of there. The bodies…"

She covered her face with the uninjured hand. Immeasurable pain could be seen in her expression.

"My mate…"

"Then we continue," Gadreel said in a low voice, "Through the mountains, and then what?"

"We follow the pennants until we find Cain's pack," Cas explained. "They'll take care of us, I know."

Everyone agreed on that, then the journal began in a great silence. Even though Gabe had his mate and his eggs, he hardly had anything else. His people were dead. What sort of future did they have? The only consolation was that the four of them were in it together.

It was foolish to carry on into the night, so before they started up the mountains, they paused and set up camp for the night. The storm had cooled down the land so drastically that it was almost cold. The ground was still soaked, but Dean had packed firewood and it had remained dry enough to burn.

Gadreel lit a fire while the betas prepared a meal. Cas was too sad to eat once more. He sat on one of the stools that Cain had carved and thus given to them, staring up at the sky.

"I wanted a mate," he muttered. "I wanted a family. That was all I asked for. Why would you give me the perfect partner then take him away?"

Cas' pained voice was hardly audible to the group, let alone the sky. He sighed weakly and touched his stomach.

"We won't forget Dean," he whispered. "We will remember."

Footsteps halted Cas' utterings. He looked up and saw Gadreel offering a bowl of stew to him.

"You must eat," he told him. "The children need you to be healthy. You're in pain now, but you mustn't waste away. The eggs need you."

Cas nodded. He was right. The eggs had no knowledge of Dean. The only thing that mattered to them was if Cas was healthy or not.

He took the stew and ate gratefully. To his surprise, there was dried fish cooked into it. He glanced over towards the fire and saw that Tessa was eating, too.

Once the meal was finished, Gabe and his mate rested up into blankets around the fire, but Cas joined Tessa in the wagon. It was large enough to sleep four comfortably, but he surmised it would be nice to give the only surviving couple some private time together.

"Do you think we'll find the hunters?"

Tessa was sitting with her two eggs and a small lantern to keep the wagon alit. He nest was actually part of Cas'—he wouldn't need as many blankets without Dean to share it with.

"I'm sure," Cas told her with hushed confidence. "Cain wanted us to join them. He left those pennants for us to follow if we changed our mind."

"That's nice," Tessa cooed. "They're more generous than I realized. I guess, after seeing what happened to our herd when they ignored your Dean's warning…well, we weren't that smart, were we? Again, I'm—sorry."

"I understand and won't hold it against you."

"But, Cas…even if we _do_ meet up with the pack, then what? Do we just join them? Become hunters? Live that way?"

"I suppose."

Cas tucked into what was left of his nest. His head was spinning.

"I would rather stay a herd," Tessa sighed.

"But it's gone."

"I know. Still."

* * *

They woke up early and started to hike up the mountain. Cain's pennants laid a decent path all the way, giving plenty of safe space for the horses and wagon to travel. Gadreel stayed at the reins. They rode the entire day, not even stopping to cook. The betas would munch from time to time and Gabe would offer some to his mate when he asked.

The higher they got, the colder the air became. Tessa and Gabe had to keep their eggs very close to ensure their warmth. Cas, though, was comfortable. His pregnancy still made him overheat and the cool air was most welcome.

By nightfall they were at the top. It was funny, Cas thought, that during his whole life in the Valley he believed the mountains to be so towering and mighty, but now that he was up there they weren't all that huge.

Gabe and Gadreel agreed it would be safer to sleep within the wagon with everyone else, so nests were made and they huddled together for warmth. Cas was restless. His stomach ached. He wanted the eggs out of him. Wasn't it time by now?

He bundled up in a cloak and left the wagon while the others were asleep. He stepped out onto the cold ground. There was a steady wind in the mountains. Cas knew that it was safe, but with the memory of the storm fresh in his mind, it scared him. His heart raced. He wanted Dean to be there.

"Why did it have to go this way?"

Again, he looked to the sky for answers. It was pitch black yet the stars were absent. How could that have happened? Even the universe had left them alone.

"What am I going to do? Do I force these people to become members of a pack?"

Cas touched his stomach.

"Who will help me raise these children? I can't be a single parent. It isn't fair."

The sky was blank. He had no answers. Then again, what would an answer look like?

"Please, Chuck. I need direction. I need to know what to do."

Suddenly, Cas focused greater on the sky and noticed that there _were_ stars. Many, many tiny ones were twinkling far away and off to one side of the great black ceiling. They were so far away. Impossibly far. He wondered if that meant anything.

Then, as he kept watching, there was a great, bright meteor that came from the direction of the tiny stars and shot all the way across the sky. It flashed as it raced overhead, descending into the east. Cas was speechless. Surely, it was a sign from Chuck, but what did it mean?

* * *

The next day was spent going down the mountains. This proved to be much easier. They continued to follow Cain's pennants and the trip was easily done. Cas kept the meteor to himself. Gabe, Gadreel and Tessa were finally and better spirits.

The other side of the land was mostly flat. They could see for miles. There were grasslands, marshlands, small forests and other terrains that couldn't be made out from that far away. Many settlements, too, were discernable.

"Look!" Tessa cried out. She pointed towards a group of wagons that sat at the foot of the mountains. "Travelers?"

The must have seen Cas and his people coming down, since a few folks stepped out of their wagons to greet them.

"Hail!" one called out. Gadreel replied in the same manner. "Where have you come from?"

"The Valley within the ring of mountains," said Gadreel.

They were finally down from the summit and on flat land again. Fields of tall grass and shrubs surrounded them.

"What's brought you to leave?" the wagoner asked.

"A foul storm destroyed our settlement. We seek shelter."

"Ah, I see. Well, we have little to offer but what we have you are welcome to."

Tessa poked her head out of their wagon. "Are you a traveling herd?"

"Aye," said the man. "Our homes are the caravans."

Cas and Gabe came towards the front of the wagon now.

"Is this how many you have?" the man asked.

"Indeed," said Gadreel. He looked back at them.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Gabe.

"Shall we join them?" Gadreel suggested. He smiled weakly. "Perhaps they'll let us travel with them."

Gabe nodded to his mate, then to Tessa who nodded at Cas. Cas, however, wasn't so sure.

"I thought we would find Cain's pack?" he asked in a small, low voice.

"We still can," said Gadreel, "However, these people are a herd. They know us better. And we have already found them. There's no guarantee that Cain's pack is the end of our journeys."

"It's a safer bet, Castiel," Tessa said. She smiled warmly at him. "We're safe here and we know it."

"Then it's agreed?" asked Gadreel. Everyone but Cas nodded. He went back to the head of the travelers and announced, "If it pleases you, we would like to join your traveling herd."

"Splendid!" the man exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "We always love to have new gatherers. Especially ones with eggs! Ah, and so we grow!"

Reluctantly, Cas joined his herd as they merged with the travelers. They were a nice, kind people, but not what Cas wanted. He should be with Cain's pack. They knew him. They liked him.

Once again, night fell, only this time they were surrounded by their new herd. They cooked and laughed well into the night but Cas didn't feel like smiling. It was nice to see Tessa in better spirits, though.

Cas broke away from the group and wandered to look at the sky. It was even emptier now. There were no stars, no matter how hard or long he focused. He thought about the meteor. It had raced across an empty sky, wandering from the group of tiny stars. Maybe it was for Cas. Maybe he had to leave on his own. It went towards the east, though, and Cain's pack had gone south.

"Perhaps I'm not looking for Cain's pack," Cas hummed to himself, staring at the sky still. "Perhaps I'm looking for Dean."


	13. Chapter 13

"You're so stupid!" Tessa yelled. "Cas, how can you be so foolish? Within the _day_ you will be laying those eggs! You've never done this before and now you're going to wander some place based on a _whim_ you picked up last night?!"

Cas ignored what she said. He didn't care.

"I've received a sign from God," he explained. "I'm certain that Dean is still out there somewhere. I will endure what I must if it means finding him. The idea of him injured, unconscious, needing help…" He paused and took a pained breath. "It hurts me. He's done so much to help me with my life, and now, even if it's only a 'whim that I picked up last night,' I'm going to follow it. Our herd is gone, his pack is broken. At this point, it doesn't make much of a difference if I live or die."

"Castiel, you are being foolish beyond all reason," Gadreel interrupted. He looked incredibly frustrated. "Look at what we have gone through! Sure the herds and packs have been destroyed by this weather, but we've found new hope! These travelers here have embraced us. We begin an entirely new life! We've been redeemed by them. And you're going to turn your back on these people who offer us everything when we have nothing."

Gabe now stepped in. Holding his eggs comfortably to his chest, he looked to Gadreel and then to Cas, and finally back to Gadreel.

"Hold on a second," he began, smiling oddly. "Didn't all of this begin with Cas and Dean telling us things that we should have listened to? Haven't we agreed that we've been dumb? Tessa, you even said so. You just made it clear to us. Cas wants to go on his own, risk his life and uh, probably die…lay his eggs with nobody to help…" He swallowed tightly and flicked his eyes back to Cas. They were sad. "We should probably honor that…"

Gadreel pressed his lips together in thought. After a long moment of standing, staring and holding their breath while waiting, he agreed.

The travelers were more than happy to offer Cas a small cart that he could keep supplies in. It wasn't large enough to sleep in but he could keep blankets in it. He would also get one of the horses, though the remainders of his herd still needed the wagon.

It was a sad goodbye and a great shame to have the already broken group of people break even smaller, but Gadreel's words had inspired a new unity in the three that remained with the travelers. They were already feeling like a big family by the time Cas had moved on.

He headed towards the east, just as the meteor had guided him. That led continuing through the grasslands and soon turned into a forest. At first it was spare, but the further Cas pressed on, it grew denser and denser until the daylight was almost impossible to see through a stained glass-like canopy above.

Then, Cas noticed there was a warm, comforting vibe to the woods. He couldn't quite place what it was but it made him believe that he was right on track.

His horse continued with the cart lugging behind them. Cas ate dried fish and nuts to sustain energy, but nothing he ate could ease the tension of his heavily pregnant stomach. The pain grew and he knew that it was finally time.

It was difficult to sit on the horse while his body prepared to lay the eggs, so he found a space to dismount and rest with a blanket beneath him. He removed his pants, squat down, curled up and cried out in great pain. He could feel the eggs moving—pressing further and further down through is body on their way to freedom and the beginning of life.

His hands were trembling and his stomach twisted this way and that as he retched, overcome with pain and odd feelings. He cried and cried, fearing that he might fall unconscious from the horrible discomfort of egg laying.

He tried to steady his breathing. At that moment, he thought it may have been a mistake to follow he meteor towards the east and away from his herd. He had never felt more alone.

But he had to have the eggs. They had to come and they would. He would get through it and all would be well.

He took a deep breath and pushed. They were leaving his stomach now and heading down towards his cloaca. His knees fell to the ground and his hands soon followed. Wild shrieks of terror filled the dense woods around him. His head was spinning. His sight was blurry. He wasn't going to die, was he? Had anyone ever died from egg laying? Not that he knew of, but he didn't know very much…

As he felt his hole spread, some sort of unpleasant embryonic fluid passed. He screamed so loud that it apparently got the attention of a nearby forest dweller.

He heard a smooth female voice call to him in his hour of need.

"Do you need help?" she asked. He heard footsteps growing—they were soft and many, perhaps some from children.

Cas couldn't answer, he was in too much pain.

"Are you—are you laying eggs?" the woman again called out. She was closer now.

Cas heard a strange noise. Were there birds? Was she with birds? It sounded like wings flapping.

"You're okay, you'll be all right. Take deep breaths. The eggs will be out of you soon."

Cas had no choice but to listen to her. She was comforting, at least. A soft hand touched his arm and he felt oddly relieved.

"You're all right," she reassured him.

Sweating, crying, he looked up and saw the person who the voice belong to. She was young and pretty, with long raven hair and full lips. There were fuchsia freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks that made her beautiful in an other-worldly way.

"You're okay," she said. "Keep pushing. Take deep breaths. In—out—in—out."

Cas breathed along with her directions.

"Your eggs are on their way. Don't worry. It sometimes takes a while."

"Thank you, thank you," Cas muttered.

He was drooling. It was embarrassing. Every part of him was exposed and now a complete stranger was helping him. Tears fell to the forest floor. All things considered, he was grateful—he wasn't alone.

The other footsteps surrounded Cas and had no voices and he was a little bit alarmed, but the woman was kind and helpful and he couldn't be bothered to wonder about it. It was impractical to worry.

An impossible stretch of his cloaca led to a blood curdling cry. He gasped and clutched grass out of the soil.

"You're doing good! They're coming!" the woman cheered. She stroked his arm.

Cas laughed through his screams. It was wonderful! He was giving birth—somewhat.

As the eggs passed, Cas thought he blacked out momentarily. The pain was so unberable that he was thankful for that. When he came to, he found himself lying flat on the ground with his head turned to the side, gasping and twitching.

"Anymore?" the woman asked. "Are you okay? Do you have anymore?"

Cas opened his eyes and saw the sideways forest and felt grass scratching the half of his head that rested on the ground. He smiled and laughed.

"No," he said.

His hands stroked over his stomach and felt that it was still swollen but the pressure of the eggs was relieved. It was done. He survived.

He struggled to sit up. "How many?" he asked weakly.

The woman was very small and fair. She appeared elated. "One!" she exclaimed.

Cas' reaction was the complete opposite of hers.

"One?!"

He sat up better and saw down between his legs sat one, large egg. The shell was still slightly soft from having just been passed, but it was a beautiful, crystalline blue with a corona of emerald around the bottom. Cas' shaking hands reached out and took it. It was still slimy.

"One," he said, heart broken.

The woman, however, was surprised.

"This is incredible!" she said. "You wander into our forest and you have a miraculous birth!"

Cas cried harder now.

"How? HOW?! How is this a miracle? I've had one. _One!_ I lost my mate and now we only have one—one egg! How will it survive? How did this happen?!"

His eyes fell on the woman and he realized that in his panic, he had completely overlooked the fact that she had a pair of bright purple butterfly wings beating on her back. She also wore a thin dress made from a fabric that Cas had never seen before. It sparkled pearly white yet was also translucent. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with his egg laying, he may have spent more time observing her nude figure, clearly visible through the strange material of the dress. It was oddly enchanting, but Cas put his attention back on the egg.

"One is the worst luck," he sighed. "Whatever you…what are you?"

"I'm a fairy, of course," the woman said. "Well, my name is Ruby. And you?"

"Castiel, or Cas. It doesn't matter. Either way. But Cas is much easier."

"Okay, then, Castiel or Cas. While _your_ kind may find a lone egg to be unlucky, _my_ kind think it's the most lucky of all!"

Cas stared at the egg in his hands. He turned it over once. It was very warm with life.

"I've never even heard of fairies," he said quietly. "I never realized there was such a people like you."

"Mm. Yeah. We try to hide from you, so I'm not surprised."

As he examined his surroundings better, he noted that the other footsteps heard earlier belonged to three little children. They were barely toddlers and all wore clothes made from the same material as Ruby's.

"My babies," she said when Cas stared at them. "I had a clutch two years ago."

"So then you also have eggs? Where are their wings?"

"Half-fairies," she specified. "Their father is a hunter. Human."

Cas blinked. "Is he around?"

"Yes. You must be exhausted. You want to come back to my house and eat something? Rest, maybe? I want to know why you're here and why anybody would come alone into the woods to pass eggs!"

Cas chuckled sadly. It was true. He had made poor choices, but he stood by them and still believed whole-heartedly that Dean was alive.

Ruby took Cas, her children and the horse and wagon through the woods and to her house. When she stood, he saw that her body was covered in those bright freckles, too; only the ones on her back and thighs looked more like leopard spots.

That comforting feeling Cas had earlier was growing stronger as they got close. Finally they reached a tiny house. It looked like it was straight out of a fairy tale (no pun intended!)—it was a tiny log cabin with a thatched roof and flowers growing up the walls and in the yard. The trees parted just around it so that light fell down over the roof. A tall man stood in the doorway and suddenly a dog came running out at them.

"RORORORORO!" it barked wildly.

Cas had never seen such a hound! It came up to his waist! The coat with short and tan but the face was black, with copper eyes and floppy ears. He thought it was amazing that the dog was gentle with the toddlers.

"Who is this?" the man, presumably Ruby's mate, asked.

"A beta that I found in the woods. He just had an egg. One egg!"

"Oh, Chuck!"

The man gasped and ran to Cas' side. He was incredibly tall—taller than Dean! His hair was long but his face was well groomed. He took Cas' arm.

"Are you okay? Mentally and physically?"

"I think so," Cas mumbled. He was confused.

They led him inside and had him sit down. There was actual furniture inside the house. The chairs had padded cushions and a rug was on the floor. Against one wall was a fireplace that roared and crackled softly. The three toddlers ran in behind the mom and took their seats on the rug.

"Are you a hunter or a gatherer?" the man asked.

"Gatherer, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

Ruby got a clay cup from a box and put tea into it. She then brought it to the fire, where a kettle was boiling, and poured hot water over it.

"Thank you," Cas said when she offered him the cup. He kept his precious egg in his lap. "I was always a gatherer, but my mate, well…he was a hunter. He is a hunter! I'm going to find him."

"Where did he go?" the man asked.

"I—I don't know."

Cas told them every detail about the storm. He explained how the stragglers of his herd had left and were with travelers now, and also about the meteor and his inclination that Dean was alive.

"Beautiful," Ruby sighed as his story finished. "True love, my kind would say!"

The man, who had introduced himself as Sam, laughed softly and touched the fairy's hand. "Your kind says a lot of things."

"Um," Cas interrupted. "Would you mind…since I told you about me, perhaps you could explain more about the fairies?"

"What is there to say?" Ruby asked. "We're fairies. We're very _energetic_ , to put it lightly. Sam came to us as an egg. Oh, didn't your mother lay you in this forest?"

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Apparently she came here just like you—alone and afraid. She had just one egg and then later died."

Cas gasped.

"It's okay, it's okay," Sam tried to calm him down. "It's clearly just a coincidence. You're very healthy and the egg looks like it, too."

"My people raised Sam and then I fell in love with him," Ruby added very quickly. She had tea, too, and sipped it. "Now we have our own clutch. Little half-fairies."

The toddlers were stumbling around on the floor. Cas noticed that they had freckles on their bodies like Ruby, too. The two boys had gold spots that were harder to see while the single girl had light blue. Cas watched them and smiled. He thought about what his child might look like once it hatched and grew up.

"You're tired," Ruby said, breaking his concentration. "Come and rest here. You're welcome to stay."

"Thank you," said Cas.

He nodded gratefully then made up a nest with the blankets he had brought along in the cart. Sam and Ruby chatted quietly and Cas dozed off. He curled up around his egg and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and reassured himself that Dean was out there.


	14. Chapter 14

Cas slept poorly. Getting used to the egg as his side was awkward. How would he survive several months of it? He would worry, no doubt, about something happening to it. Now it was making sense why egg-bearing mothers should stay put and not wander around.

In the middle of the night, Cas found himself wide awake. Sam and Ruby's house consisted of two rooms—the main living space with the kitchen and sitting area and then a room for sleeping. Cas, however, was in the sitting area. He had made his nest and was trying to get comfortable with the egg.

When sleep was no longer an option, he decided to get up and possibly have something to eat. He had, after all, just laid an egg a few hours earlier.

When he came to his supply bags and took out a handful of seeds, he noticed that the front door was slightly ajar. Curiosity piqued, he stepped outside and looked around. There, sitting on the forest floor with a ray of moonlight hitting her was Ruby. A ring a mushrooms was around her and she was sparkling oddly.

"Ruby?" Cas called out tiredly. She looked up.

"Something wrong?"

"I can't sleep…um…what are you doing out here?"

"Working."

Cas stepped closer now and saw that the fairy was sewing a garment that rested on her lap. It was made from the same material as her luminous dress.

"Ah," Cas inhaled. "I was wondering, actually, what your clothes are made from."

A wide smirk grew on Ruby's face but no answer came. The purple wings on her back fluttered happily as she set her needle down and reached into the air. Her fingers plucked at the moonlight and, to Cas' great astonishment, a thin thread was pulled from nowhere.

" _What on Earth?_ " Cas muttered beneath his breath.

Ruby looked quite pleased. She dropped the shining strand into her lap and began sewing once more. Her technique was a stitch that Cas had never seen before.

"Did you—"

"Make thread from moonlight? Yeah. A special talent that my people have."

Cas could barely respond.

"That's—incredible!"

Ruby gave him a humble smile.

"Then you're up every night working on this?" Cas asked.

"Not every, but usually."

"And your people? The fairies?" Cas darted his eyes around the forest now. It was still and quiet. "Are they around here doing the same?"

"No, they're deeper in the woods. They stay _incredibly_ illusive. In fact, you won't hear or see them if you haven't been given the fairy's touch."

"Fairy's touch?"

Ruby nodded.

"I'd have to check with the king before giving it to you."

"Oh."

The fairy held her tongue between her teeth and pulled her needle up.

"Do you want to meet my people?" she asked.

"I think so. This is a once in a life time opportunity, don't you think?"

"Probably. But aren't you trying to find your mate?"

Cas frowned. Dean…

"Yes, it's true. I am. Is there a chance that the fairies could help me?"

"Maybe. Uh, but let me warn you—they're _bawdy_. Ask Sam tomorrow."

Cas gave a nod and agreed to do just that. Tiredness got the best of him and he managed to fall back asleep when he returned to his nest. When morning came, he was itching to get Sam to talk about the fairies.

"Oh, jeez," Sam laughed, looking caught off guard. They were having grains at the table. "The fairies? Yeah, they're really loud. It's taken me a long time to tame Ruby."

"Tame?" Ruby snapped, grinning wickedly all of the sudden. "You haven't tamed me at all. I just love you enough that I behave."

The conversation continued in such a manner for a while. It was clear to Cas that the fairy folk were unlike anything he had encountered before. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to meet them, but after Ruby went to ask her king and returned all smiles, he had little choice.

"They want to meet the miracle egg," Ruby explained.

Cas looked down.

"Miracle…"

One egg was hardly a miracle to him.

"Come on!"

Ruby rattled his arm.

"They're impatient!"

Without answering, Cas was whisked away from the little house and followed Ruby through the woods. The way she ran was more like a dance than a job and it was difficult for Cas to keep up. He kept his egg wrapped up and close to his chest.

They leapt over small downed trees and dashed over flower beds. The deeper the woods went, the more illuminated and fantastically they became. Cas was amazed.

Soon, flowers that glowed like the moon were popping up everywhere. The grass was lush and emerald colored, while the sun high above sparkled through the green canopy to create an ethereal look. The trees were low but thick and dense. Cas wondered if the fairies were living in there. They easily could, considering the coverage of the heavy leaves.

Ruby stopped at last. Cas paused to catch his breath. Sam followed behind with the three children.

"I'm going to give him the touch!" Ruby announced, addressing entities that Cas couldn't see. Sam looked uneasy.

"What's the touch?" Cas asked the man.

"Eh," was his only response. This made Cas incredibly uneasy.

"Come here, it's not a big deal," Ruby said, reaching out for the beta.

"How is it that I can see you?" asked Cas. He cautiously approached her.

"Because I've been with my human for so long that he wore off on me."

That didn't make any sense to Cas. He shrugged it off and assumed it worked out with a different kind of logic.

"Here!"

Ruby pulled Cas close and planted a kiss on his lips. He was paralyzed with shock. Sam wasn't pleased.

"That's all."

Ruby backed away and smiled coyly. Cas, however, was feeling strange—a warm pulse went from his mouth and out to every extremity of his body. It was similar to the dizzy-drink he had back with Dean's pack. A forced grin popped up on his face. He held his egg close to make sure he wouldn't drop it.

"You'll feel find in a second," Ruby reassured him.

Cas blinked hard. He attempted to catch his bearings. As he looked around, he saw that the forest was changing. Though the flowers and trees remained, suddenly there were people—tons of people!

The dizziness subsided almost immediately and Cas felt normal again. The people, however, were still there. They were silent. Each one stared. They all had wings on their backs like Ruby only different colors, and most of them didn't move.

"Is he done?" one of them asked.

"I don't know," Ruby said. "Cas, do you see the fairies?"

Cas couldn't answer for a moment. It was hard to believe!

"I think so," he whispered.

A perky redhead waved her arms and beat her bright blue wings.

"Do you see meeee?" she hollered. Cas nodded. "Ooh! Awesome!"

Suddenly she came dashing towards Cas and reached out to touch him. Cyan freckles dotted her nose and waist. Cas politely looked away from her revealing moonlight dress.

"Can we see the miracle egg?" she begged. "Pleeeease?"

"No!" Ruby interrupted. "We take him to the king, and then he decides."

"Aww, okay. That's fair. What's your name, human?"

"Cas."

"Okay, Cas. You can call me Charlie."

"Charlie?"

"Uh huh. Now we're going to go see the king! He's super cool. You'll like him!"

Everyone turned and went to go deeper into the woods once more. Thankfully it was much slower now. Cas walked between Charlie and Sam.

"You know Sam, right?" Cas asked the fairy.

"Of course I do, we all do."

"We don't spend as much time here as we used to," Sam explained, "But we still do."

There were about twenty five fairies, Cas counted. They weren't as crazy as Cas was expecting. In fact, they were quite orderly as they trekked towards the king.

After a little ways, the forest opened up to a big glade. There were bonfires and cauldrons and tables and chairs. It looked like an amazing party had just occurred—or was about to.

At the end of the glade there was a giant throne that had been carved from an enormous tree trunk. There, sitting with his legs dangling over one arm of the seat, was a young man who Cas assumed to be the king. He wasn't much older than Cas.

"King Ash?" Ruby asked, kneeling at the throne. She gestured towards Cas, who also knelt but felt very awkward about it. "This is the human. The beta. The one with the miracle egg!"

"Oho!"

The king stood up now. This was the precise moment that Cas realized there was nothing serious about their royalty, for the king had a long pony tall beneath an eccentric crown of flowers and branches. Bees and butterflies flew around him. His wings were a peachy pink and poked out from a curtain of colorful animal hides that hung behind him.

"Yo, fairies!" King Ash announced, smirking. He opened his arms wide and held them up. "Here's that miracle mom we were talking about!"

Cas looked around and saw that _hundreds_ of fairies were now pouring from the trees. Their colorful wings were flapping and fluttering like made, all the while they sent sparkles and shimmering lights into the air. A group of ten or so gathered and began to play music. The mood had suddenly become, well, _bawdy_.

"You're a lucky guy!" the king said. He stepped down from his throne and looked at Cas' egg. "Could I get a blessing?"

"Um, a, what?"

Ruby nudged him. "Let him kiss the egg."

"Oh! I—I suppose!"

Cas was terrified to let anybody near his precious only child, but King Ash was surprisingly tender. He leaned over and touched his lips to the egg's shell, then immediately stood up again.

"Sweet!" he yelled. "Talk about good vibes for the people! Hey, what's your name again?"

"Cas."

"Cas. Okay." King Ash looked around. "HEY PEOPLE!"

The chattering fairies stopped at once.

"How's about we make Cas here an honorary fairy?"

"YEAAAAAAH!"

The entire crowd roared. Some of them flew into the air and sent more sparkles to the ground. A fine glittery dust settled over Cas.

"Honorary fairy! Honorary fairy!" the crowd chanted in unison.

Unable to resist, a few fairies came up to Cas, turned him around to face the entirety of them, then adorn him with flowers around his neck and on his head. They weaved them into his hair and left sparkles over his entire body. Each fairy that approached him to help also went in to kiss the egg. They put multiple flower crowns on it, too.

"Th-thank you," Cas mumbled. His cheeks were bright red from all of the attention. He saw Sam laughing, politely, off to the side.

The music started up again and fairies began to eat and drink. They were incredibly loud, even over the band. Drink flowed from cauldrons and food was passed around. The erratic flutter of multicolored wings was an amazing sight to behold. Who would have thought that these folk had lived here?

"He's beautiful!" a female fairy called out from the crowd, pointing at Cas.

"Honorary fairy!" a child sang.

"The miracle egg!"

They wouldn't stop cheering at him. Cas wasn't sure of what he should do, so he stood there and accepted the praise.

"Take this, take this!"

An older fairy ran out of the crowd and up to Cas. He was short and with bushy hair, scurrying about the place more like a mole than a fairy. He opened his hands and revealed many pieces of gold.

"Oh, my!" Cas gasped. He had never seen so much! "This is worth a fortune!"

"From the mines!" the male fairy gloated. "Take it, take it! Honorary fairy, honorary fairy!"

Cas accepted the incredibly generous offering with wide eyes. If he was to find Dean, they would have a very easy life now!

More fairies followed in the steps of that one. They came and gave him precious jewels, sacred herbs, beautiful bags, blankets and enough clothes to fill the rest of his cart.

The party continued throughout the day and well into the night. Ruby and Sam had to get their children back home. Cas was tired, too, though the fairies didn't appear to slow down any time soon.

"HEY!"

King Ash shouted to get his peoples' attention. They stopped. The music, finally, ceased. A few cups could still he heard clinking as they filled with wines and meads.

"Our honorary fairy is going back to sleep at Ruby's," the king explained. There was a group sigh. "But he'll be back tomorrow!"

"YEAAAAAAAAAH!"

They roared like a stadium. Cas winced from the sound.

"Um," he said to Ash, "I don't know. I really…I really need to keep going."

"No way!" the king yelled. "Once an honorary fairy, _always_ an honorary fairy!"

Cas gasped. He looked at Ruby for help, but she rolled her eyes and shook her head. She tugged Cas' arm and pulled him away.

"He's drunk, that's all. You can leave whenever you want."

"Oh. Oh! I will have to, soon, if that's all right."

"Sure."

Sam and Ruby slipped Cas out of the party and went on their way back home. Cas hesitated to remove the flowers. He rather liked them.

"You could leave now or in two weeks, or two years," Sam told him. "We don't mind. If the fairies are good at one thing, it's hospitality."

Cas smiled. "Thank you. I'll spend another night, I suppose, and leave tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 15

Within a day, Cas had gone from being completely alone and helpless to more accepted than he ever had at any time in his entire life. The fairies embraced him with such mind-blowing generosity that Cas was left speechless.

Back at Sam and Ruby's house, he looked through the gifts that had been bestowed upon him and he again told himself that if he lived, if his child lived, and if he found Dean, their lives would be very easy. The pieces of pure gold that the mousy male fairy had given to him worth more than all the wares of Cas' old herd combined. Even the smallest piece of gold that Cas now owned would have been worth 300 pairs of those scissors that Dean used to cut his hair—and they were a splendid quality of metal!

Provided he found willing traders and buyers, Cas could theoretically afford to be well-equipped with armor and weaponry. The sorts of things that did not concern him. In fact, the only knowledge he had of weapons other than what the hunters used to catch their prey, was the swords and shields that caravanners would occasionally offer to his herd back when they came through the forest.

He heard whispers of cities and wars, but none of that concerns the herds or packs as far as he knew. They were independent people and didn't dwell in political matters. Gatherers and even hunters did not believe in killing one another.

Cas readied himself to depart the fairies' domain in the morning. The only guidance he had, still, was the message of that meteor. He would continue to press eastward through the forest and wherever that might take him. He was scared, but knowing that his difficult journey had even the _slightest_ chance of finding Dean made it entirely worth it.

"We would love it if you would stay," Sam told them in the morning. They prepared food for his journey. "But we understand. It's been a long time since I looked to the stars for direction. Then again, my life's good and there's no reason—provided I uh, stay away from the fairies. No offense, hon."

Ruby giggled. She was used to Sam talking poorly of her people, and Cas now had a bit of an idea as to why this was.

"I rather enjoyed the company of the fairies," Cas graciously said to his hosts. "I never realized there was so much magic to be found in the forest."

"Well," Ruby told him, "It's not every forest. Ours is special."

"I can see."

Cas said his goodbyes to the three small children, bade farewell to Sam and Ruby, then readied his cart, now packed full with gifts, food, supplies and clothes. He headed out to continue his quest.

As he got on his horse, (he had a sturdy leather sack that strapped to his chest and was filled with fabric to keep his egg warm and safe) he was flagged down by Ash, king of the fairies.

"Hey, Cas!" he called out happily.

Cas turned around and saw a generous handful fairies surrounding the king. He was once again dressed flamboyantly in loose fur and flowers, while bugs still buzzed around his head. Cas waved to them weakly.

"I'm leaving now!" he called back. "I have to keep moving. I need to find my lost mate."

"No, no! We get it!" The king said. "True love and that stuff! We just wanna say bye _one more time_ and see that miracle egg, am I right?"

"YEAAAAH!" All of the fairies called. Their voices weren't as rowdy or many as the night before, but an incredible energy still pervaded the group.

Cas dismounted his horse momentarily so that King Ash could get one finally look at the "miracle egg." There was still a terrible feeling in the bottom of Cas' stomach when he considered he had lain the most unlucky of signs, according to his people, but when the fairies were so delighted in that single egg that he couldn't help but feel proud of it.

"Man, it's been our honor to have you here," King Ash told Cas. "We'd love it if you return sometime."

"I can't make promises like that," Cas admitted regretfully. "I don't know how far my trip will take me. If I'll be successful or even if I'll survive."

"You've got the miracle egg! Of course you'll survive! All directions point in favor of you, buddy."

"Do you believe so?" Cas asked, blinking.

The king's eyes looked kinder than ever, even though he was a warm hearted man—fairy, or whatever you may call him. He nodded swiftly and the flowers on his crown rustled. A couple of bees buzzed closer to Cas and surveyed him as if they had more intelligence than they should.

"Me and my people," Ash started again, "Wish you the best of luck. We wish you safe passage through the forest. And—any time you want—you're welcome to come back and stay as long as your heart desires!"

Cas was flattered. Beyond flattered. The hospitality of these people was something that he thought to be absent in the Great Land.

As he got on his house once more and trotted away finally, leaving the fairies behind, he felt sad. If only he _could_ stay. If only Dean _was_ there. But then eh realized if Dean was there, he never would have left the valley. If he had never left the valley, he would not have met the fairies or have acquired the gold.

Walking away with the cart trailing behind him, he was suddenly flanked by a wave of blue and red. Charlie ,the friendly fairy he had spoken to the night before, flew alongside him and stopped right in front of the horse. Cas halted.

"I've already said my goodbyes," he told her painfully. "I would hate to stretch this out longer than it should."

"Nope," Charlie said. "You've got to understand."

It was then that Cas noticed she wasn't wearing the dress of moonlight anymore, but boots and a tunic made of bright blue leather that matched her wings and freckles.

"You're looking for your mate, right? I foresaw this in a message that came to me from Chuck!" Cas listened attentively. "I was told that a person would come from the outside, leave quickly on a mission and that _I_ would follow with them. My own mission would be fulfilled!"

"And what is your own mission?"

"Finding the unicorn!"

After meeting with fairies, Cas thought he had heard it all. Apparently, that was not the case.

"Unicorn?"

"Unicorn! A horse with a single horn on its head. It's thought to be the luckiest creature in all of the Great Land. They say it lives in these woods."

Looking at the fairy sideways, Cas noticed she had a small, sheathed dagger hanging from a belt around her waist.

"Please tell me you don't intend to hunt it," he said.

"No!" Charlie gasped. "Why would I ever? It's beautiful and lucky! You don't kill something beautiful and lucky!"

"What, then?"

"If you find it, well, seeing it is lucky enough—but they say that if you tame it enough to touch it, then your heart's desire will come true."

Cas wanted to say that finding Dean was his heart's desire, but maybe there was more than that. Finding Dean was what he wanted at the moment and what he aimed to accomplish. His heart's desire, however, he wasn't sure.

"What is _your_ heart's desire?" he asked.

"Other than having great luck, I do, um, well,…I want to leave the forest." Charlie gave a great, heavy sigh. "I've been maybe a little more than envious of Ruby's lifestyle. I don't want any of the fairies and I never have. She has a man, a hunter! I want a hunter. I wanna leave this forest and see what else the Great Land has to offer. That's _my_ heart's desire. I'm sure of it. If I find that unicorn, I am going to get it!"

"Why can't you just leave on your own without finding the unicorn? It sounds like what you want, you could attain if you tried…"

"True, it's true. But it helps to have a burst of luck, doesn't it?"

Cas agreed. He didn't think he had time for yet another detail, but maybe this would be worth it for him.

Charlie hopped up on the back of his horse and they continued eastward through the forest.

"Where do you suppose the unicorn could be?" Cas asked.

"Anywhere. No one's ever seen it."

"So…when do we give up and say it doesn't exist? We can't be out here forever."

The more Cas considered it, the more he thought it wasn't worth his time. Dean was waiting somewhere, maybe.

"My message from Chuck never said that you had to be with me to find the unicorn, _technically_ ," said Charlie. "So you can divert any time you want."

"All right, then."

Cas told himself that made sense and the two of them were on their way. It was nice talking to Charlie, actually. She was calm like Ruby but also had a silliness to her that he hadn't been around for a while. Gabe, he thought, was the closest he had to that comedic value. But Charlie was smart, she really was. Most of her life as a fairy had been spent mapping the skies and translating messages from Chuck. She certainly knew more about stargazing than Cas' old herd.

Charlie taught Cas many things about the forest. She knew the names of all the flowers, from the tiny white ones that perked up in moss on the sides of trees to the enormous blue bells that flickered with an ethereal light. Charlie's talk was a fair distraction for Cas.

"What kind of human would you want to mate with?" Cas asked at one point. Charlie sniffed.

"I dunno," she admitted. "I guess an alpha, because I'm the one to have the eggs."

Cas looked over his shoulder at her. "Why would you _guess_ an alpha?"

Suddenly, the fairy laughed. Her blue wings fluttered erratically.

"I _guess_ because I would really rather fancy a female!"

"Oh? You have a preference?"

"Yeah. Do you think that's okay?"

Cas shrugged. "Why not?"

"It's unusual?"

"You can't help what you like, hmm?"

"Yeah!"

They fell silent after that. Cas couldn't worry himself with Charlie's desires, but it was interesting to consider nonetheless. He had fallen in love because Dean was kind to him and smelled nice. There was a primal attraction. That was due to him being an alpha and Cas being a beta, he thought. Did the sex of the person matter that much?

"But what of this unicorn?" Cas eventually asked. The sun was setting and there was still no sign of an end to the forest.

"What about it?"

"Do you have an idea of where it might be, now?"

Charlie shook her head.

"No, but we should stop for the night. Even fairies need to sleep—sometimes!"

Cas thought that was smart, so they found a cozy place for the horse to sleep and he made up a nest with his blankets. There wasn't enough for two, but his was large enough that Charlie had room in it.

"I've never slept in a nest of blankets before," Charlie said, humming softly. Her nose twitched.

"What are you used to?"

"Branches and leaves."

"Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Surprisingly, no."

Charlie shed her leather clothes unashamedly. Cas watched her with his eyes open.

"You aren't going to sleep nude, are you?" he asked, some hesitation in his voice.

"Well, um, yes! That's what I do? That's what we do…"

Cas blushed. It was clear by now that Charlie wasn't interested in him physically but he was still embarrassed to be close to a naked body. Her bright blue leopard-spots ran across her shoulder blades, and then another patch was on her thighs and buttock. They were slightly luminous in the growing dark of the night.

"I can build my own nest if you want," Charlie suggested. "I'm pretty handy like that."

"Oh, no, please don't. It's fine. You'll be adjusting to my soft nest and I'll be adjusting to your body. I think we can meet halfway, don't you?"

Charlie nodded and chuckled. "You're smart, I like you! For a stranger to wander into the wood, you must be the perfect one! How's the egg?"

"Warm," Cas said with a smile. He touched the bundle that held it close to him. "Ah, my egg…"


	16. Chapter 16

That night, Cas experience a most wonderful dream. He was back home, his old house that he had built in the Valley. He lay in his nest with his arms and legs entwined with Dean's. He could smell his musk so strongly through the dream that it felt impossibly real.

Kisses touched his neck as Dean squeezed his body close and whispered, "I miss you, Cas."

"I miss you, too, Dean…I miss this. I miss _us_." He fingers stroked along Dean's spine and he smiled to himself contentedly. "I love you, Dean."

"I love you, Cas."

"Are you…dead, Dean?"

The alpha moved back just enough that he could look Cas in the eyes. Lush green forests flickered back at him. He smiled, ever so softly, and said, "I don't know, am I?" There was a hint of humor in his voice.

"I wish I knew," Cas admitted, pulling Dean close again, tugging him down into the crook of his neck. He inhaled his intoxicating aroma. "I wish I could find you…"

"It's okay," Dean reassured him.

Cas felt Dean's thick rod push against his rear. He gasped at the sensation.

"Enjoy this," Dean whispered. "Enjoy us."

Cas clung to Dean's torso as he began to press inside him, filling his emptiness with a long missed company.

"Take care of the egg," Dean said. "Just…just take care of the egg."

Cas startled awake.

Though it had been amazing to dream, now that the fantasy was over, Cas felt empty again. It hurt more than before.

The forest was still dark. Cas sat up and looked around then noticed that Charlie was gone. Only soft bulbs of light from various ground flowers illuminated the forest floor.

"Charlie?" Cas called out. His voice was muffled by the density of the trees. "Charlie?!"

He heard a soft rustle and suddenly his fairy companion came pouncing to the ground. She was wearing her leather tunic once more and had a broad smile on her face.

"Where have you been?!" Cas asked.

"I said fairies still to sleep, but that doesn't mean we have to sleep all that much!" She giggled.

She straightened up her tunic and looked around as if she were smelling or detecting something.

"What is it? The unicorn?"

Charlie narrowed her eyes. It was difficult for Cas to see exactly what she was doing since the forest was still dark.

"Maybe," Charlie pondered.

She took several steps around Cas, bending over occasionally then also standing up on her toes.

"It's weird though," she commented. "Do you smell it? A strange scent that I've never noticed _anywhere_ before."

Cas sniffed.

"No, I don't think so. But maybe my nose isn't as good as yours?"

" _Maybe_."

Cas recognized that he wasn't going to get more sleep so he got up, strapped his egg to his chest and brought out some nuts from his bags to give him a burst of energy.

"I'm gonna find some water," Charlie announced. "You stay here and let me know if you smell that."

"I will," Cas told her as he watched her dance away with a hollowed out gourd under her arm, wings fluttering.

He stood up and decided to give Charlie the benefit of the doubt. He paced around their makeshift campsite, inhaling deeply to pick up on whatever nuanced smell she may or may not have picked up on. He inhaled, and soon found himself preoccupied with scent-tracing.

Before he knew it, he was walking all around and sniffing the air. No doubt that flowers and grass, soil and bark and morning dew painted the majority of the forest's canvas of smells, but he _did_ eventually notice a different scent.

There was a soft musk floating around in the air. He followed it and followed it but to no avail—it was very faint.

By then, Charlie returned with the gourd full of water and Cas told her what he had noticed.

"Yes!" Charlie agreed, over enthused that Cas had proven her at least partially sane. "Exactly! It's not an animal, and I know that—every animal smell in the forest has been smelled by me. Unless it…the unicorn. I wouldn't know what that smells like."

"I'm not sure," said Cas.

Charlie offered him a drink of water and he gratefully took it. Wiping his mouth, he handed the gourd back to her and continued. "I feel like I've smelled it before."

Charlie gasped. "Is it your mate?"

As painful as it might seem, Cas shook his head.

"No, of course I've considered it. But I know his scent all too well. I would recognize it immediately in any situation."

They couldn't get too hung up on the smell as they started their day, but since there was a possibility that it was the unicorn that was emanating it, they had to follow through as much as possible. Once they were ready to head out, they both got back on the horse and took up a small toe path that had been traced in the dirt.

"Probably from deer," Charlie stated as she pointed to it.

Cas saw that it opened up to many like it. There was a network of trails not unlike ant or groundhog holes but above ground and through grass.

"Deer do that."

"Or unicorns," Cas followed.

This made Charlie laugh loudly.

"Weren't you the one doubting the unicorn's existence yesterday?"

"I was and I still stand by that," said Cas. "But I have no reason not to believe you. If something seems true or possible, I'll pursue it to an appropriate degree."

" _Oooh_ ," Charlie hooted after several more minutes of following the deer path. The musky scent was no closer or further than before, but they kept on going. "I just realized!"

"What?"

"Me looking for the unicorn is just like you looking for your mate."

"But I know that Dean is real," Cas muttered.

"Well, yeah, but—I mean this in the kindest of ways, but you don't know if he's _out there_."

Cas held his breath momentarily. Charlie was, of course, right. The likelihood of him finding Dean was very similar to finding the unicorn. Maybe that's why he believed in her, and why he was taking such a detour.

He wasn't angry at her comment and he made sure that she knew that, but nevertheless they were silent for the remainder of the day. It wasn't until dusk that they both suddenly noticed that smell had grown stronger.

"Where is it coming from?" Cas asked.

They both sniffed the air.

"I don't know," Charlie said. Her speech was interrupted with the sound of her nostrils taking in quick bursts of air.

Cas stopped the horse. In the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he just saw something. Enough light from the sunset was still bleeding in through the trees and combined with the luminous flowers here and there it certainly wasn't impossible to isolate movement.

"Did you see that?" Cas whispered back to Charlie. She tightened her pale arms around his waist.

"I think so…but…was it?"

"I don't know. Let's go on foot. It'll be quieter."

Careful to keep his egg safe, Cas dismounted the horse, as did Charlie, and they pursued the strange movement by squatting very cautiously. When they paused to listen, they heard the unmistakable sound of horse hooves treading over soft ground.

"Maybe that's it?" Charlie whispered. Excitement bubbled up in her chest and she had to fight hard to keep herself from giving her hopes up.

They crawled through the brush, hiding up against trees as they heard the horse approaching. Cas felt his heart beating in his throat. My, had his life changed!

Around a tree there came the animal in question.

"Just a horse?" Charlie stated, louder than anyone tracking an animal ever should. She frowned in disappointment, practically kicking herself for being too hopeful.

"Well, yes, but," Cas interrupted, "Why would a horse be here by itself? Also…"

He pointed to its back. It was equipped with supplies and a saddle. Obviously it wasn't wild.

Then, the hairs on Cas' neck stood up and he froze the moment a cold blade touched his flesh.

" _Who are you and who are you talking to?_ " A cool, familiar female voice asked him.

He slowly turned his fear-stricken head around and saw that the holder of the terrifying long blade pressed to his neck, was none other than Meg.

"Cas?!"

She immediately withdrew her blade and stared at the beta. She was beside herself.

"Why—who—why are you here? And _who are you talking to_? Where's Dean?"

Through the assault of reasonable questions, Cas darted his eyes over to Charlie, who was also petrified with fear, and winced.

"You can…tell…her…"

Charlie hesitated to say. Meg was unable to see fairies, of course, without the fairy touch.

"I'm here with a fairy."

"A fairy, huh?" Meg asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She's right here. You can't see her."

"But you can? Now I really want to know what you're up to. And where in the Great Land is Dean?"

"I…"

Cas took a deep breath and let it blow out of him slowly as he collected his thoughts.

"After you left, a storm like the one that hurt your pack, came through the valley." Meg's face turned white.

"But, Dean—"

"I don't know!" Cas moaned. "I thought him dead, the river overflowed and…carried him away as he was saving members of my herd. But then I saw a sign, and I came this way to find Dean. I think, I hope, I _believe_ he's alive."

"Oh, Cas, I'm sorry!" Meg cried. "We all really, really cared about Dean, and I know he loved you. I hope he's out there, too."

"If you don't mind me asking…why are you here?"

"I'm looking for the unicorn."

This made Charlie ecstatic for Chuck only knows what reason. Wings fluttering, she lunged at Meg and toppled her over onto her back. It certainly surprised the hunter! Without giving her the chance to choose, Charlie planted her lips right onto Meg's.

"Whaa—haah—Cas?!"

Meg could only feel Charlie against her. Hoping it was the fairy, she swatted her arms around but soon grew dizzy from the fairy touch. Watching it on someone else was very funny, Cas realized. Much better of an experience than living it.

Meg sat up on her hands and shook her head, clearly adjusting to the fading dizziness. Her eyes fell to Charlie's and she narrowed them.

"What—the hell—just happened?"

"I let you see the fairies!" Charlie beamed, quite proud of herself. "Now you can see me, and the others, and we can, well, we can find the unicorn together! Makes sense, right?"

"I guess," Meg hummed, slowly adjusting. "Then you're all looking for the unicorn…"

"Yes!" Charlie said. "And I feel better about it now. What's your heart's desire?"

"Heart's desire?" Meg asked, scoffing. "What're you talking about?"

"Your heart's desire? It's…it's what you get when you find the unicorn?"

Charlies wings fell sadly.

"I don't know about that, but _I'm_ looking for unicorn hair," said Meg.

"Unicorn hair?" Cas and Charlie asked in unison. Meg nodded.

"It's an ingredient in a three-part potion I need to make."

"For what?" asked Cas.

Meg suddenly looked tragically sad. She glanced down.

"Cain," she muttered.

"What happened?" Cas asked, holding his hand to his face.

"He grew sick," Meg explained dismally. "Very, very sick. The only thing that we think can cure him is that three-part potion. I need two handfuls of white sage, ten leaves of silverwood and a hair from a unicorn."

"White sage? Silverwood?" Charlie asked.

"Mm."

"They aren't around here."

"That's okay, I know where to find them. But the unicorn hair is only in these woods, so I'm not leaving until I get one."

Cas nodded.

"Very well," he said. "Then we will work together until we find that unicorn. It seems that many fates now rest in doing so."


	17. Chapter 17

There was no point in continuing the hunt that night, since it was growing rapidly dark and Meg had inevitably been prowling throughout the day. They set up a small camp right then and there and settled for the evening. Charlie had many questions for Meg.

"So you're a hunter?"

"Yeah."

"And you hunt? Live in a pack?"

"Mhm."

They watched each other across the fire Cas had built. Charlie was incredibly intrigued and that didn't come as a surprise since she told Cas earlier about her jealousy of Ruby.

"You must be a great hunter!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Must be," Meg said with a smirk. She chewed a piece of dried venison and continued, "You walked right into my trap, you know."

"It was amazing! It really was. You used your horse as a _decoy_. I always thought my senses of the forest were incredibly honed, but I didn't hear you coming at all!"

Charlie smiled wide-eyed as she showered Meg with endless praise. Cas remained silent the entire time, with his eyes going from hunter to fairy rapidly, intrigued by their discussion. He was happy to be out of the spotlight for once.

"Ah, it's just how we're raised," Meg explained rather humbly. "You fairies don't have animals?"

"We do, but we rely on our speed, mostly. Not traps and cunning. I'm impressed! You came rather slow, didn't you?"

"Mmh," Meg hummed. "I can't exactly give away my techniques."

"And that _blade?_ Is that what you _hunt with_?"

"Now always. We have traps and smaller knives, larger knives."

Cas couldn't believe that. Her blade was already so gigantic that he figured there was no point in one larger.

"We also adopted the bow and arrow."

"Bow and arrow?" asked Charlie.

"That's what Dean used, right?" Cas chimed in now. Meg nodded slowly and took another bite of meat.

"Something his mother brought into our pack," she said.

"His mother? He never told me about her."

"Well," Meg hesitated softly, "He didn't know her."

"What happened?" Charlie asked, sitting so close to the edge of the log she roosted that she nearly fell off. Her wings fluttered erratically. Apparently, storytelling was a grant past time for the fairy folk.

"I wasn't around," Meg began, "I've only heard this story from Cain, and he's never said everything. But Dean's mother came here when he just a baby. She wandered into our pack seeking refuge. She had the bow and arrow and a lot of things. We think she came from the city."

"The city…"

Cas' eyes stared at the ground with wonderment.

"So…Dean doesn't really have the blood of a hunter?"

"We raised him to be one," Meg boasted. No doubt anyone would be proud to have such a skilled alpha formed amongst their own people. "They say that his mother wanted that. And then, she left…"

"Any idea where she went?" The fairy asked in a tiny, curious voice.

"I don't really know, but I have a feeling she had come from the big city to the southeast. The one that I'm going to get the rest of my potion ingredients in."

"You're going to a big city?!"

Charlie's wings flapped even greater now.

"Yep! Why? You want to come with me?"

The fairy froze.

"C-Can I?"

"They won't be able to see you," Meg snickered.

"Not right now, no—but they will! If I spend enough time around you, my resistance will fade and they will see me. Just like Ruby!"

"Right," Cas agreed softly when the fairy looked in his direction. "You realize that I can't come with you."

"I know," Charlie said sadly. She knew that truth was coming.

"It's okay," Meg told him. "Charlie and I can do it. Hm?"

"Yeah! But will you help us find the unicorn still?"

Cas took a deep breath.

"One more day," he said. "I'll help for one more day but then I must keep going."

"Do you know where you're going?" asked Meg.

"No, but I wish I did…"

"Maybe you ought to ask Chuck again?" the fairy asked.

That was good advice. His initial sign had come from the heavens, and perhaps now he needed another to reassure his efforts.

Once Charlie and Meg settled for the night, Cas took his egg and wandered to a place where the treetops opened enough that he could see the sky. He studied the stars momentarily to get his bearings and make sure he was facing east, and then he closed his eyes and prayed.

"Is Dean out there? Is he waiting for me? Am I heading the right direction? All I need…is another sign…tell me if I'm correct…"

As soon as he opened his eyes, he looked up and waited. Just as before, another meteor came shooting by, headed in the exact same easterly direction. It wasn't as big as the first, in fact it was quite tiny, but still obvious.

Cas held his breath as he saw it, sure that it was a sign. There was no way that a coincidence could be that exact.

It wasn't done, either! Another one came, and a third! The same size and all heading in the same direction. Cas waited and waited, but that was it. Three together. That was more than enough, though—he had been told again that the east was where he must go.

"Cas, even if you don't find Dean, I'm happy that you have that egg."

It was morning now, and the three were up and already back on the path to finding the unicorn.

"Me, too," Cas hummed. He looked down at the bundle strapped to his chest and touched it fondly, one hand still grasping the horse's reins.

"Yeah, but," Charlie interrupted, "If you find Dean, you can just have more, right?"

She was sitting on Meg's horse now, arms around her waist. Cas thought nothing of it.

"Not exactly," Cas admitted. "I'm sure my fertile years are coming to a close."

" _Fertile_ years?"

Meg looked back at Charlie and nodded.

"Our betas can only have eggs until they're, what, 24? 25?"

"About that, yes," Cas agreed. "How long are fairies fertile?"

Charlie laughed. "A long time! But…that's so sad! You need fairy dust!"

"Fairy dust?"

Both Cas and Meg asked simultaneously.

"Fairy dust! I throw it on you and you'll have at least five more years of fertility!"

The horses both slowed as Cas showed keen interest in this magic. Charlie was more than eager to help, so she leaped off of Meg's stallion and pulled a tiny pouch from her things. She went to open it but Cas stopped her.

"Wait!" he yelled. Meg laughed. "You need to ask people before you do throw powder on them, or give them the fairy touch!"

Charlie frowned.

"Okay…do you want the fairy dust?"

"What happens when you do it?"

"A few more years of fertility."

"Will it hurt? Will anything else change?"

Charlie shook her head. "Painless, nothing else. Oh, you _might_ get spots like I have…"

Cas flared his nostrils. "Spots?! On my face like that?"

"I don't think they'll be on your face! Just your hips and back! But they're cute, aren't they?"

Cas wasn't sure how to respond. Meg, however, had some ideas.

"What's a few spots for another shot at making a big family with Dean?"

A big family with Dean?

The beta closed his eyes. He thought about having eggs again, only this time Dean would be there. And they would have many. So many.

"I want the fairy dust."

"Okay!"

As if she had been waiting anxiously for years, she pulled open the tiny pouch and tossed a huge handful of sparkling powder all of Cas. It puffed out smoke, and the pieces were so fine that it nearly was a gas and not a solid! It was an interesting sight to behold, since the cloud had an iridescent shimmer to it. But, as quickly as Charlie had tossed it, the dust settled and slowly faded.

"How do you feel?" Meg asked after giving Cas a moment.

"Unchanged, really."

"I bet it's worked and I bet it was worth it!" Charlie said. She turned to Meg. "What about you? Do you want more fertile years? Or do you, um—" her voice slowed and the excitement dwindled. Cas thought she may have even been embarrassed. " _Or do you have eggs already?_ "

Meg pursed her lips.

"I did, but not anymore. But I don't need that powdery shit. Alphas don't lose their fertility until they're old."

The fairy's eyes opened wide. She nearly dropped the now-empty pouch.

"Alpha? Did you say—"

Proudly, Meg tilted her head and said, "Yeah, that's right. I'm an alpha."

"An—alpha—female?! There's—such a thing?!"

Charlie's face burned bright red and she suddenly couldn't look at Meg. Cas watched carefully but said nothing.

"It's rare," Meg added. Nothing more was said about that.

The hunt for the unicorn continued well into the greater part of the day, and Cas was becoming tiresome. He kept thinking about the shooting stars and wondered if they had any time significance. The longer he wandered the woods with the two ladies, the longer Dean might be waiting. Or in pain. Cas shuddered.

"I think it's about time for me to take a different path," he announced grimly.

"Already?" Charlie asked in a sad voice. She sounded defeated. "But the unicorn…"

"We've been looking but we don't even have a lead. At all. I can't keep wasting my time."

"Wait!"

Meg's voice broke the sadness. She pointed at the forest floor and immediately dismounted the horse.

"Look!"

Squatting down to the check the soil, she noted a trail of hoof prints that they hadn't noticed yet. Charlie and Cas both joined her.

"Maybe they're from us?" Cas suggested.

"No, look…"

Meg used her open palm to measure the length of their horses' prints and compared them to the new ones. These were nearly twice as big. Cas' eyes widened.

"Could it be?"

"Oh, Cas! You can't leave us now!" Charlie pleaded, her wings fluttering at a great speed. "We've made progress! Just one more night! We might never see you again!"

Cas gave in. Charlie had a point. The tracks were unusual and it would be worth pursuing them. Unfortunately, the large hoof prints only went so far.

"Damn!"

Meg cursed when they realized the tracks were gone. They had suddenly vanished in the middle of a muddy path.

"How?!"

"It's getting dark," Charlie said with a yawn. "Maybe we'll see them better tomorrow?"

"Then you'll track them without me," said Cas. "I'm sorry. I'll stay this night but leave in the morning."

Nobody could argue with that, and they were at least happy that Cas would rest with them. He made up a nest and settled in, keeping his egg nice and close. He wasn't sure what Charlie and Meg's sleeping arrangements were and it didn't matter. It was none of his business.

He closed his eyes and thought about Dean. Maybe he wasn't very far away, now—maybe that's what the meteors meant. Perhaps he just had to leave the forest and he would run into him. Meeting Sam and Ruby and then Meg was just as unlikely, and it happened. He had been saved by many people now. It was time for fate to turn around on him.

"So…an alpha female?"

Cas was about to fall asleep when he heard Charlie speaking in a soft voice, not terribly close but close enough that he could understand her.

"Yeah."

"I'm kinda…interested in what you have, um, down there…"

This was a private conversation that Cas shouldn't have been eavesdropping on, but in all honesty, he wondered what Meg had beneath the hood, too.

"I've got a little, tiny penis, like your small finger," Meg explained. Her voice was light and comical. "It doesn't do much. I don't need it."

"Oh! I have one of those, too! I've been an alpha, too?"

"No, I don't think so…hm…let me see."

"See? Okay."

There was the sound of clothes shifting. Cas held his breath. He felt terrible for listening, but they weren't trying to hide their words as well as they could.

Charlie gasped softly.

"That's just your beta female bits," Meg said as if she were an expert on the matter. "My old mate had the same thing."

"Ohh. Could I…see yours?"

"Sure."

More shifting noises and Charlie made a loud sound of surprise. Meg grunted.

"How do you breed, then?" the fairy asked.

"You see this hole? Just like yours…when I get off and I come, my sperm juices out of me and, haha…you can…you can figure the rest out."

"Then you rub them together?"

"Mm…"

"Curious."

"You want to try?"

Cas almost gasped audibly. This was certainly something he should never listen to! He went to cover his ears, but he realized that would involve letting go of his egg. He didn't like to do that when he slept, so he was forced to listen, trying his best to replace their noises with images of Dean.

"Sit together like this," Meg said. "I'll hook my leg—oof—just—aah…"

"Oh, my!" Charlie breathed. "Then we grind like—aah!"

"It's good, it's good! The stickiness is good!"

"Ah, by Chuck! Ooh!"

Guiltily, Cas closed his eyes tight and worked harder than ever to block out their noises. This was intimate. It was wrong of him to hear. Why couldn't they be quieter? They went on for a long while, but at least Cas was finally able to envision his darling Dean instead.


	18. Chapter 18

"So this is it? You're leaving now?"

In the morning, Charlie was upset to see Cas leave. She had gone and found nice fruits for him to eat as breakfast and brought him fresh water.

"I'm afraid yes," said Cas, eating his meal with gratitude. "But I hope this isn't our last goodbye. Where is the pack these days?"

"West of here," Meg told him, "But we're going to the big city after this. It's southeast, like I said. I'm not sure how long we'll stay there. We need to finish the potion then head back to the west to help Cain."

"Then I'll go to the west after I find Dean. We will meet again."

The three were quiet as they ate. The uncertainty of their futures made a grim cloak to hide under, but Cas carried the courage of his convictions and it was apparent to the others. When they were ready to part ways, Cas decided he would leave them with more than just a farewell.

"Here, Meg," he said, taking something small from his supply bag. She watched curiously as he handed her one of the gold lumps.

"What! Cas, are you kidding? This is—this _really_ valuable!"

"Charlie's people gave it to me, along with several others. I don't need all of them."

"You're an idiot!" Meg gasped. "You could use them someday!"

"I still have some, and that's enough. You need it, too. Go to the city and buy everything you could ever want. Bring great gifts for the other hunters, in case we don't return…I want them to know that they are important to me. And…"

Cas paused here. He watched Meg hesitate as she put the gold away in a safe place and smiled.

"And it doesn't matter," he finished. "Goodbye, Meg. Goodbye, Charlie."

Careful with his egg, he got up on his horse and waved farewell once more before he began to trot away.

"WAIT!"

Charlie flew up into the air and pursued Cas, holding something in her arms.

"Take this! Please…"

There sat a folded piece of clothing, glittering oddly in the morning light. Cas recognized it as once as her moonlight dress.

"What could I use this for?" Cas asked honestly.

"It's fairy magic, you know," Charlie explained, once more heaving the cloth towards him. "It keeps you warm when you're cold, and cool when you're hot. It's perfect! That's why we don't need to wear anything else with it."

"But don't you need it?"

"I'll make more."

"Will it fit me?"

"Um, not exactly," Charlie hesitated. "But you can wrap it around you, or ball it up or something…"

"Or put it over my egg," Cas said. He smiled. "It is perfect, isn't it?"

Charlie said nothing but nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you."

As sad as it may have been, it was now time for Cas to finally say goodbye. He had faith, though, that they would meet again, and with Dean, too. His horse strode through the forest and he looked over his shoulder at Meg and Charlie. He hadn't told them about what he overheard, but it was clear to him that they were going to be happy together.

* * *

When he made it out of the forest, Cas suddenly realized how tired he had been of it. Raw daylight was welcome on his skin. There were no more lump and bumps and logs for his horse to tread over, but instead he could see a far, vast landscape sweeping before him. To the east, the mountains continued. He had been following the ring that protected the Valley this entire time, but by now he was likely close to the opposite side that he had started.

As he looked across the plains, he could see the silhouette of what might have been the great city Meg talked about. Few details were discernable aside from its incredible size. Cas wondered what life was like there. Never in all his days would he have guessed that city life was an attainable prospect. But he had greater things to focus on. The meteors had gone to the east, not the southeast, thus leaving the city for another and hopefully more relaxed time.

It was obvious to Cas that he had to go into the mountains now. Interestingly enough, the range wasn't solely a ring that surrounded the Valley. When he observed them better and took the directions into account, the mountains he headed towards now had also formed a line leaving the Valley, evidently making the whole group more like a Q or a P shape. He could wonder about that later since none of it mattered. Chuck had told him to go into the mountains and that was what he had to do.

Cas with his horse and small cart crossed the great plains and headed back into the mountains. While he was halfway to his current destination, he saw a group of people, also on horseback, approaching from the distance. He braced himself. As they drew closer, he noticed they were clad in great suits of armor. Fear held him tightly.

"Hail, traveler!" One of them called out in a deep, commanding voice.

Cas didn't answer. He was too afraid. The men who wore armor, according the folklore, were also the kind who waged war and killed other men!

"Are you well?"

Still, the beta remained silent. He stopped his horse and stared at the armor-clad people. The man who addressed him was stately and dark skinned with small eyes. Cas saw they were well equipped with large blades and shields.

"Can you speak?"

" _Yes_ ," Cas told him timidly. He touched the bundle on his chest and made nervous eye contact.

"Ah!" the man gasped. He looked to the others around him. "This is a beta, surely, and with eggs!"

Without Cas being able to stop, two people strode out of horses and flanked him. They dismounted and came to his side.

"Would you step down please?" one asked.

"Be cautious, please," said the other, this one was female. They sounded kind and Cas obeyed.

Once he was off of his horse, the female offered him a container of water and a handful of strange nuts he had never seen before. He took some water but refused the food. The other person was looking him over carefully.

"Are you eggs all right?" he asked.

"There's only one," Cas said. His voice was very low and small since he didn't know how these people interpreted one egg.

"Hmm."

A loud hum came from the black man who seemed to be the leader of this group. His palomino stallion, also sporting handsome armor, took a few heavy steps closer to Cas.

"One egg? Has something happened to the others, or…"

Cas gulped down a heavy lump in his throat.

"No, um, I only had one."

"Interesting," said the leader.

He glanced at the two helpers, who were touching and checking Cas rapidly. When they finished, the female looked to the leader and announced, "He's well."

"I'm glad," he answered. "Tell me then, please, why you are out here in the Great Plains."

"Well, um, I'm actually heading towards the mountains."

"Alone?"

The two who checked Cas got back on their horses and practically disappeared into the group.

"Yes…"

"That's very dangerous," the leader said. "You must have a reason. What is it?"

"I'm pursuing a notion that my lost mate may be in the mountains."

"I see."

Cas waited for the man to say something else but he didn't. Clearing his throat, Cas asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"Why, we are the royal guard of Lawrence, out on patrol. Tell me, beta mother, where do you hail from?"

"The Valley."

"Which?"

Cas wrinkled his nose.

"The valley within the mountains here."

The man suddenly gave a loud, deep laugh. His group chuckled, too, but Cas couldn't tell if they were being polite or genuinely amused by his words.

"Do you mean to tell me that there is life within the old volcano?"

Cas gasped.

"Old _volcano?!_ "

"Indeed."

Now, this group's leader was acting suspicious of Cas, but Cas was so confounded that he couldn't ask better questions or say better words!

"I'm a gatherer, from a herd…we live, well, we _lived_ in the forest within the mountains, we called it the Valley. But a storm came and we were mostly killed."

"Ah, yes. That great storm. It was recent, was it not?"

"Yes…"

"I'm deeply saddened to hear that your people were harmed. But, but intrigued has been roused. Of all my years living in the great city of Lawrence, I have never once heard of life within the volcano."

"When you say volcano," Cas began, trying to push down another lump, "Do you mean an active crater that bubbles with lava? I thought that was a legend, nothing more."

"It hasn't done so in a long, long, _long_ time. We've declared it to be dead. But no, volcanos are certainly real. There is an active one within the realm of Azazel."

"The what?"

"The realm of Azazel. A land far to the west and north. You…you aren't very educated, are you?"

Cas frowned.

"I've been living in a volcano. I guess not."

But the man laughed again.

"What odd luck in finding you! Tell me, beta, what is your name?"

"Cas."

"Very well, Cas, I am Uriel and I am the lead knight of the guards. If you need assistance in your journey, may we offer it?"

"I don't think there's much you can do. I'm going into the mountains and I will, hopefully, find my mate."

"There's a difficult path before you," Uriel warned. "I wouldn't advise a young mother such as yourself take it. The mountains have nomads."

"Nomads?"

"Mm, strange folk who live alone."

"Are they friendly at all?"

Uriel glanced at the men on either side of him.

"We wouldn't know, as we have never met any. But my warning continues—it is dangerous. We would prefer if you didn't go."

"I understand," Cas said with a nod. "I appreciate your concern as well, but I'm going to."

"Very well." Uriel looked back to the other guards. "Then we will be on our way. If you find yourself in need of supplies or a place to rest, you are welcome to visit the city of Lawrence. I admit that we aren't much without the king, but…we have maintained for almost three decades and we will continue."

Uriel's statement left Cas with too many questions to fathom. So, kings and queens were real…but what happened to theirs? Three decades was thirty years, (Cas was _educated_ enough to know that), and that was older than he was! What a pity! He told himself that after he found Dean, they would visit the city of Lawrence. It sounded friendly, if nothing more.

Cas shook off the questions and got back on his horse. He watched the guards turn around and continue on their patrol, wishing that he could follow them. If only Dean were there already…

He pressed onward. The mountains were close and he could feel hope growing within his heart. As he reached the foot of the ranges, he first had to cross a river. It came running down from the peaks and rushed onward, probably to the city of Lawrence. This gave Cas additional joy, because maybe it was the same river that ran through the Valley. That would mean that Dean could have survived and come down this way. Were the meteors right? Was he going to find Dean?

After crossing the river, which proved to be easy since the level was low, he made it to the rocky mountains and looked up. He had already gone through this same range, just on a different side. He remembered that it wasn't as terrifying as it had seemed from the comfort of the Valley.

Cas started up the mountains on his horse, but soon found that the terrain was considerably more rocky than his first hike with his old herd. There were no paths already there and he worried about his horse.

"I don't think this is safe for you," he said to the animal. "I'm going to leave you here, with my things, but it won't take me long and I will be back with Dean."

Perhaps Cas had begun to lose his sanity at this moment. He had the idea that he would go up the mountain, find Dean and come right back down again. Perhaps it was the thrill of being close at last that made him jump to dangerous conclusions.

He hiked through the rocks endlessly. It wasn't difficult at first, only time consuming and tedious. He kept his egg close all the while and spoke to it as if it could hear.

"Maybe we'll find nomads," he whispered. "Maybe they're nice and maybe they'll have food and shelter. Maybe they have Dean! Ah, Dean…"

What Cas did not foresee was how much colder these mountains were. A few hours into his ascent, it began to snow. He didn't know what it was at first, but recalled how Dean spoke of the strange frozen particles. This was also dangerous, since Cas didn't realize how deadly the snow could be.

As he continued, his feet began to go numb. He lost the feeling in his face. Snow kept falling and it was collecting in his cold hair. The fairy dress was wrapped around his egg and keeping it alive, but Cas had to wonder if it was smarter for him to wear it.

"No," he said, shivering. "I'm close, I'm sure of it. My egg will live."

Night was falling already and the snow kept building on the rocks. He was impossibly cold and impossibly mental.

"Just a few more steps, I know it…"

Up ahead, through the bitter flakes, Cas could make out a figure. It was a woman with dark hair. She was wearing hardly anything and waving with more energy than Cas could muster in his state.

"H-Hello?"

Cas' voice was too damaged by the cold to speak very loud. The woman motioned her hands for Cas to come closer.

"A nomad?" he gasped.

The cold overtook him and he collapsed.

"…no…"

He had to keep that egg safe. He had to find Dean. If he could only get a little closer and ask that woman what she wanted…


	19. Chapter 19

"This is how I die. This is my end."

Cas closed his frozen eyes and thought his last, terrible thoughts.

"My egg will live with the fairy dress, but…then what? He'll hatch and then die. What a horrible death…maybe it would be best if I took the fairy dress from him and let us both die. Or, I could put it over myself and…no, then the egg would surely freeze."

The beta could feel his heart slowing. His body was dying. The cold was winning.

"Has God forsaken me?" he thought, wishing he could cry but he was too cold and weak to do even that. "Were those meteors a coincidence after all? Is Dean…could he…is he…"

" _A little further_ …"

A voice came into Cas' head that was not his own. He instantly thought about the nomad woman who had been waving to him. It felt like years ago though it had only been moments.

" _Please…have faith…_ "

Cas could not describe how he felt after those words resonated in his head. Though he was frozen and dying, he was able to muster up enough strength to pull himself up the mountains a few more feet. The snow was stopping but it still remained on the ground. He terribly frozen face could not even feel it as he pulled himself through.

"Wh-where am I going…"

Cas wondered, not sure if he spoke aloud or kept it in his mind. Why didn't he bring supplies with him? How could he have been so foolish?

"Dean…"

His fingers felt a ledge now. There was an open space that had no snow on it. His first thought was that the nomad woman was inviting him in and now he had made it.

"How…"

Gasping, Cas dragged himself up onto the ledge and managed to lay on the barren ground. It was, indeed, a cave, but he was too tired and dying to open his eyes and see how it looked.

Without the snow to inhibit him, he was able to move closer inside. He couldn't even judge how wide the cave was based on his own echoes, but he knew that it was some form of safety.

The deeper he went, the warmer it felt. Oh, it was incredibly warm! Was the snow melting from his body?

Then he found a wall. A dry, warm, wall. His fingers were just barely thawing and he was able to grope over the stone. Then he touched the ground. It was dirt, not rock. Had he lived, after all?

He followed the wall around until he hit something. It was warm, it was—alive?!

At first he thought he had crawled into a bear's cave. What a cruel twist of fate! To barely survive the snow, only to be killed by a warm-blooded creature!

But it was not a bear. It wore clothes. It smelled good. He knew that smell!

" _D-Dean_ …"

He hugged that familiar person so tight, soaking him with the melting snow. It must have been Dean, the smell was spot on. Still trembling and now overcome with joy, Cas shook and shook the body. He was definitely alive as he could feel him breathing, but why didn't he stir?"

" _Dean_ ," he struggled to say. His voice was brittle. " _Dean_ …"

At last, there was a snort and the body turned. Cas opened his eyes but the cave was too dark.

"Hnng…who…?"

He heard the voice that had haunted his dreams since he saw Dean get carried away by the river. It was Dean, his Dean! He was alive!

"DEAN!"

Cas used his last ounce of energy to cry out to his partner, digging his face deep into the warm crook of his neck. Dean sniffed.

"Cas? Is that you?!"

"Dean, oh, Dean!"

"Cas! You're freezing! What're you…shit, Cas…wait…ah…lay down."

Too tired to argue, Cas rested upon his side. Dean's hand swam all over his body, brushing off the snow and doing his best to warm him. There was a sense of pained urgency in his movements.

"Shit, Cas. Wait."

Cas closed his eyes once more and heard Dean rummaging around in the dark. There were a series of flicking, snapping sounds and then he heard the crackle of fire.

"I'll warm you up," Dean said, sounding as if he were on the brink of tears. "Hang on, Cas."

There was no more speaking for several minutes. Dean worked hard to get a fire going as Cas rested. He fell asleep instantly. Nearly dying had zapped the strength from him, and then some. Dean held him close and kept the fire going.

"Dean…"

Cas finally woke up again.

"Is it really you?"

He looked up and saw his mate staring down at him. There were tears in his beautiful green eyes. Cas smiled though his raw lips split and hurt. Dean kissed him anyway. Oh, to feel that mouth against his again!

"I knew you'd find me," Dean said.

"How did you get here?"

"I don't know."

"Then, I, too…" Cas closed his eyes again. "I don't know."

"But, Cas…your chest. Is that? Did you have our eggs?"

Cas nodded slowly.

"They can't be alive anymore," Dean sighed. It was almost as if he expected them to die at some point.

"No, they—it—is."

"It?"

Cas was too tired and grateful to be in Dean's presence to care about the single egg.

"We had one, and one only. But I have…ah…fairy magic…this is keeping our egg warm. Take it."

He couldn't move, so Dean went into the pouch and pulled the egg, and the fairy dress, out. Rest assured, the egg was pleasantly warm and very much alive. Dean looked it over.

"A beautiful egg," he said. Apparently he wasn't too bothered about the size of Cas' clutch, either. "Cas, we really did it. Can I hold our egg?"

"Please…"

Dean sat up with Cas' head in his lap and their egg in his arms. He gazed down at it and kept it nice and warm with the fairy dress.

"I knew I'd see you again," Dean said, smiling. "I knew you'd keep going. Just keep going, remember? And I'd catch up..."

"I remember," Cas whispered. He looked up at Dean and smiled, gently reached to touch his leg. His clothes were terribly torn. "Oh, Dean…what happened to you…"

As Cas came to and slowly recovered, many kisses and hugs were shared. The couple sat in front of the fire and touched their egg with tenderness, overjoyed that they were finally going to be a whole family.

"The last thing I saw was your face and your voice yelling my name," Dean explained. Cas was strong enough to take the egg back finally. "Then the water grabbed me and I totally passed out. Nothing. Black. Done. I figured I was dead, but then I woke up and I was in these damn mountains."

"Oh…"

"I was hurt real bad. I got beat up awfully. But I knew the mountains were cold, so I just climbed up and found a nice place to force myself into hibernating. I figured I could sleep until my wounds healed, then I would climb down, figure out where I am and then try to find the pack. Where are they? They aren't with you, huh?"

"No," said Cas. "I went on my own way. I didn't find the pack but I found Meg, and…Dean! My journey has been…it's been incredible! Now that I've found you and the pain is over, I can look back and smile."

"Hey, Cas, it's not over yet. We still have to get out of these mountains."

"My horse! Your horse. I left it at the bottom. We have to go. There's food and—"

Cas suddenly remembered the gold and gifts that the fairies had given him. He was invigorated.

"Dean! We're going to be all right!"

Dean chuckled. "Okay, easy. You need to be careful."

"Are you healthy enough to climb down the mountain?"

"Yeah, but you aren't. Here."

They put the egg pack into its pouch, but Dean strapped it to his chest now. He stood up and had Cas climb on his back.

"I can't risk anything happening to you or the egg, so we're gonna go down like this."

"Are you sure?" Cas asked, clinging to Dean's chest. He took in the deep musk that he missed so much and smiled. Once they were in a safe place and had a bite to eat, maybe they would mate again.

"Yeah, it's fine. Hold tight."

It was dark, so Dean took branches from the fire to make a torch. He was able to hold it and still support Cas and the egg. They left the cave and trekked down the mountain under the guise of night.

"Where is the nomad woman?" Cas asked.

"Who?"

"Did you see a woman out there? She had black hair, and…"

Cas realized it must have been a hallucination from being so close to death.

"Ah, never mind," he said. "I had gone a little crazy there."

Dean chuckled, huffing as he took big steps down the rocky summit.

"S'okay," he said. "We're together and you can be as crazy as you want."

The trip grew painful towards the end, but the snow also stopped. Once the cold air was replaced with something milder, Cas _insisted_ that Dean let him walk. He couldn't keep hearing his lover grunt and strain from the extra weight.

They made it to the plains once more and, surprisingly, found Cas' cart and horse still waiting obediently. The horse recognized Dean at once and came over to greet him.

"Hey, missed you, Ammy."

"Is that the horse's name?" Cas asked. He was exhausted more than ever now.

"Ammylette," Dean answered. "You didn't know? You've been riding him and didn't even know?"

"I just called him my horse."

Dean gave a brief laugh. He was also tired.

"You have enough stuff to set up camp in here?"

"Yes," Cas said. He went to the cart and began to take out blankets and coverings. He got out all of the food supplies and they ate before anything else.

"Aah, haven't eaten since I was in the Valley with you," Dean said, tearing into dried fish. "Mmm…"

Cas drank some water and wiped his mouth, eying Dean. It was incredible. Dean was there. He was alive and smiling and eating just like they had never parted ways.

They built a small tent and made a nest inside, then curled up together for the night. The egg sat between them and they kissed.

"I believed in you, Cas," Dean whispered. "I knew you would come."

"I trusted in Chuck but I had my doubts," Cas admitted shyly. He let Dean kiss his face many times. "I don't know how I did this but I did, and I'm glad."

"Any idea where we go after this?"

"To the west, to find your pack."

There was still a great lot of work ahead of them, but at least for now, Dean and Cas were together and that was all that mattered.


	20. Chapter 20

Cas woke up in a panic. The events that led up to being with Dean again had left him in such a strange state that he initially thought it had been a dream. In his stirring state, he sobbed silently and he mourned how unfair life was. But then he felt Dean's embrace and smelled his musk, and he finally heard his deep voice coo, "You okay?"

"It wasn't a dream," Cas sighed in relief.

"Almost lost you for good, but no, I'm here."

"Oh, Dean…"

Cas folded up into Dean's arms and smile, hugging him. Dean really was there. They were together. It was real and amazing and everything else wonderful that life can offer.

They kissed and kissed. Cas thought that the sensation of Dean's jaw, now covered in a beard that had sprung up in his attempted hibernation, was peculiarly intriguing. His hair wasn't the neat, short cut that he knew it as, either. Cas ran his fingers through it and Dean smiled against his lips.

It didn't take long for their movements to shift from gentle, sweet touches into the erotic dance of lovers. Their egg was moved to the side, still cradled safely in the nest, and then Dean toppled Cas and kissed him more. Their flesh was exposed as much as necessary and Cas slipped his legs around Dean's waist. Melting, aching together, Cas nuzzled into Dean's ear and whispered, "I missed this."

"You haven't mated with anyone else, right?" Dean asked, smirking. His ground his hips against Cas' rear, causing the beta to whinny.

"No, never."

"Good. You're mine and only mine."

Cas smiled greatly at Dean's protective sentiment. He latched onto his back and thrust into Dean's movements. His cock was hard and ready, rubbing against Cas' already sticky hole. They merged at last—the long awaited reunion that Cas had fantasized about day and night. Their moans were louder than ever as they worked their bodies into a sensual pretzel.

"Oh, Dean!" Cas cried, tensing his whole around the base of his shaft.

Dean grunted deeply, thrusting, humping, grinding and ramming against his lover. "I love you," he whispered.

"Oh, Dean, _Dean!_ "

Cas' voice cracked as he squeezed Dean tightly, feeling his climax overtake him. He wiggled and shuddered at the feeling while his small cock dripped a thin liquid. As his nerves calmed, Dean pulled his cock out and ejaculated onto Cas' belly.

"Ah, that's—mmh—that's good."

"I can't believe we've finally mated again," Cas said with a breathy moan.

He opened his eyes finally and stared up at Dean, who was now sitting up but still touching Cas' body. The warmth of Dean's come on his flesh was comforting.

"Hope we never go this long without seeing each other again," said Dean.

They snuggled for a bit longer, but then they had to get on with their day. Full of smiles despite whatever journey lay ahead of them, Cas held his egg and left the makeshift shelter they had set up the night before. Dean came out and stretched, examining the surroundings as well.

"We should bathe," Cas suggested.

"Yeah, probably. The river?"

"I think so."

"You go first, I'll hold the baby— _egg_."

Cas smiled.

"Thank you."

He handed the egg off to his partner, then undressed and walked a few paces to the river. The level was still low and it was incredibly cold, but any kind of water was welcome. Dean watched him take his clothes off.

"Hey, what's that on your back?"

Cas craned his neck around and tried to look. There were, just as Charlie had predicted, small leopard-like spots dotted around his lower back and hip area. There appeared to be more on his shoulder blades but he couldn't see them as well. They were a deep cerulean.

"Oh!" Cas gasped. "Already?"

"Cas? What is that?"

Dean was clearly worried, but when Cas smiled it eased his tension.

"Part of the fairy magic. It means—oh, Dean!"

He forgot all about that!

"It means I have several more years of fertility!"

Dean just smiled, eyes wide, and nodded. It felt odd to Cas that he didn't press further, but they were both hungry and achy from their painful experiences yesterday and the days before, so he figured he planned on inquiring further later. After Cas washed, he dried off, dressed and then came back for his egg so that his mate could bathe.

Waist-deep in the river, Dean ran his fingers through his hair and watched Cas as he prepared food for them. He made a small fire and heated some vegetables he had picked in the forest.

"I want to make them before they go bad," he said.

Dean couldn't hear him too well at his distance.

"You look as good as ever!" he shouted to Cas.

"Huh?"

The beta glanced over to Dean innocently.

"What was that?"

Chuckling to himself, Dean dipped down into the river completely before stepping out, sopping wet and completely naked. His body was badly bruised and covered in wounds. They were healing well, but the sight was disheartening to Cas.

"I said, you look as good as ever."

"Do you think so? Because I feel incredibly worn out. The price was worth it, but still."

Cas' eyes fell to Dean's crotch. He watched as the river water beaded through his pubic hair.

"Did you pack scissors?" Dean asked as he went to the cart and began rummaging through bags. "Damn near brought everything else."

"Yes, your pair is in there."

"Razor?"

Cas shook his head. He kept stirring the tiny pot over the fire.

"I didn't think to. I was in such a hurry, I'm sorry…"

"Shh, stop. It's fine. I'm not mad."

Upon finding his scissors, Dean took a seat on the ground beside Cas and began trimming his beard down. It was difficult to do by himself, but clearly he had done it before.

"Hope you don't mind me with some hair still on my face."

Cas chuckled.

"Why would I mind?"

"Dunno."

"I like you no matter what."

The food was soon ready and they shared a bowl, since Cas had only packed one. Now that he was feeding two (Charlie barely counted) he realized how little supplies he had with him.

"So, tell me more about these fairies," Dean said with his mouth full of potato. "They exist after all, huh?"

"Yes," Cas nodded. "Did you hear about them ever? I had no idea. They live in this forest to the west. They're…interesting creatures."

"Ha! I bet."

"No, listen—they think that one egg is lucky. They called it the 'miracle egg' and made a huge party around it just for me. Who would have thought?"

Dean seemed impressed. He slurped up a long mushroom and stared out at the river. "Damn…"

"They were incredibly friendly! They gave me _gold_ , Dean, gold!"

"Gold?! Are you serious?!"

"Yes, look!"

Cas carefully leaned over to the cart and groped around for the pieces of gold. When he showed them to Dean, he spit out the mouthful of soup he had.

"Holy shit, Cas!" Dean gasped. He took a piece with great care. "This is some serious loot!"

"And it's ours, now!"

"Damn! We're set!" he laughed. "We can go anywhere! Do anything!"

"Perhaps," Cas smirked. He took the gold back and put it away safely, then touched the egg on his chest. "But there are better things than gold, right?"

"'Course," said Dean. He cocked his head to the side, smirking. "Those spots on you…more years of fertility…how'd they do that, anyway?"

"Fairy magic," Cas said with a knowing wink. He took a big chunk of carrot and nudged his knee against Dean's. "Now we can have another clutch, or two—or three!"

Dean flushed.

"Wow, well, let's think about it first. We need to settle down somewhere. Did they tell you what state my pack is in?"

"I'm not sure. A small town, that's what Meg said. And also that Cain…Cain isn't well. She's probably at the city of Lawrence now."

Dean said nothing. He finished his food and sucked his teeth, breathing steadily. He was deep in thought.

After Cas washed out all of their dishes and went to pack up, he noticed that Dean was still sitting, staring, thinking…

"Dean, my love?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the matter?"

The alpha took a deep breath and stood up.

"Just thinking about our lives, you know. I wonder if going back to the pack is the right thing."

"Of course it is," Cas told him, cradling the egg. "They want us back. It's a good place to raise our child, or children."

Dean smiled just a bit.

"That's true," he said, "But then what? They've definitely merged with another pack, or maybe even a herd."

"Oh, Dean, we're only two people. If we don't go back to the pack, we'll have to merge, too. What do you suppose we do?"

"The city of Lawrence? What if we go there?"

Cas opened his eyes wide. He made sure that the egg was secure and stepped close to his mate.

"But neither of us have been to a city before, right?"

"No," Dean said.

"We don't know what to expect."

"But we've got all that gold. We can take it to the city. We can probably buy a damn house down there with it! Shit—does it work that way?"

Cas laughed politely.

"Dean, I don't know. I haven't been there, I just told you."

"Then we should try. What's the worst that can happen?"

Cas pondered his meeting with the guards before he found Dean. They were stern and strict, yet caring and very warm. Maybe it would be worth it to check out Lawrence. Sure, it was further away from Dean's pack, but they might even run into Meg working on that potion. If that was the case, they could just follow her home.

"All right," Cas agreed. "Let's head to the city of Lawrence."


	21. Chapter 21

Before they headed out, Cas and Dean spent ample time relaxing at their campsite. They had yet to pack anything. Cas had the fire going around midday while Dean was doing his best to catch a fish for them.

Cas lay in the grass with his egg cradled in his arms, watching Dean wade through the river, still nude (as was Cas). It was a nice day with fair weather. Dean had a makeshift fishing line that was dangling in the water.

"You know," he called out over his shoulder to his mate, "I've been thinking, and I've got an idea. We should take some of that gold and buy better weapons and stuff for the rest of the pack, then bring it to them."

"That's very corteous of you, Dean," said Cas. "I like that idea. I think we should also buy items for our child, too."

"Well, yeah. We can do that, too. Where'd they find it, by the way?"

"They told me it was 'from the mines,' but nothing more."

"Huh. Okay."

"Why?"

"There's gold in the land, o'course. But if they found it in a reliable source, there's bound to be more, yeah?"

Dean suddenly jumped. His fishing line was being tugged on! He yanked it from the water and displayed a large fish, wiggling about on his hook.

"Ohoho!" he laughed in great triumph.

Cas watched with pride in Dean's hunting prowess. That made him feel safe.

"Look at this guy!"

Dean immediately came trudging out of the water with the fish in one hand. He squat down by the fire, picked up his knife and began prepping the soon-to-be-meal.

Cas would probably never be too happy to watch the beheading, skinning, deboning and gutting process, but he tolerated in nonetheless and kept the cauldron ready for the meat. One by one, large chunks of plump, white fish came splashing into the boiling water. Cas gave them a stir.

"It looks wonderful," Cas noted.

"Some catch, right?" Dean laughed. "This river's amazing. Maybe we should just ditch the city and the pack and live here instead. Right here."

Cas looked up from his cooking and stared at Dean with narrow, pensive eyes.

"We could," he said, "And it would be nice, wouldn't it?"

They both examined the land before them, paying attention to its great beauty. To one side there were the mountains—tall, gray and cool. The rocky terrain bled down and met with the soft grass they now rested on. There came the fresh river that blossomed somewhere up in the mountains and then ran out and curved in the open plains, curving through the foot hills.

The grassy expanse went on endlessly, as far as Dean and Cas could tell. In the distance there stood the city of Lawrence, nothing more than a hazy stone fortress from their view.

"We can't raise our child here," Cas said at last, chuckling very softly.

"You're right."

Dean took his attention off of the grand view and tipped his eyes down into the pot. A delightful smell was coming as the fish began to firm and cook. Dean touched Cas on the arm, just to remind him of his presence.

"We should see the city anyway, huh?"

"I think so," the beta agreed. "We've come this far and we have the gold to spend. It would be a shame to turn down this once in a lifetime opportunity. We can always find more pastures to live in."

Dean smirked.

"Yeah."

They dined and rested. Cas recounted stories from his grand adventure. He told Dean about the eccentric Ash, king of the fairies, and the one that he befriended, Charlie. They discussed the prospects of Meg and Charlie together, which Dean was quite pleased to hear.

"You know she wanted _you_ , right?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, but instead of fighting, she saw that we were meant to be and let me have you without so much as an argument."

Cas' cheeks turned pink.

"I had no idea!"

Starting the next length of their journey that late in the day would be a poor decision, so they agreed upon one more night in the foothills before leaving first thing in the morning.

Another night of caressing their egg, sharing kisses and making sweet love together soon turned to dawn. They prepared to leave.

Riding on Ammy with Dean at the front, their egg on his chest and Cas' arms around Dean's waist proved to be the perfect way to travel. Cas couldn't be happier. Better yet, they had been blessed with overcast skies, which created the ideal shield from the sun to venture out into the grassy plains under. Despite the cart lugging behind, Ammy, too, seemed happy to have Dean on their back once more.

As they traversed the plains, still through slight foothills, they noticed herds of strange, deer-like creatures that neither of them had seen prior.

"Do you know what those are?" Cas asked, his lips pressed against Dean's hard shoulder.

"Deer?" was Dean's best guess.

They did resemble deer an awful lot, except some had two longs horns that curved backwards and then pointed up. This gave them a bizarre appearance.

"Can they be hunted?" asked Cas.

Dean sucked his teeth.

"I don't know if hunting and eating an animal I know nothing about is very smart."

"Yes…I suppose you have a point. We have food, anyway. I hope we make it to Lawrence before sundown."

As they passed the animals, the herds bolted, scattering at first but then gathering into the group once more. They went further and further away until they found a comfortable-enough distance to start grazing again. Considering Cas' comments, Dean pondered the usefulness of their horns, but left them alone anyway.

As they neared the city of Lawrence, Cas wondered if they would find the troupe of guards that he had met earlier, before he had gone into the mountains. With his eyes closely fixed on the horizon, watching for others, there came a point in the late afternoon that they saw a wagon heading over the foothills.

A bubble of excitement welled up in Cas' chest when the considered the slim possibility of the three remaining members of his herd being on the approaching wagon.

With the wagon drawing closer, Dean cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey, caravanner!"

" _Haaaail!_ " the wagon called back.

They headed towards each other now, the driver waving erratically. To Cas' disappointment but not surprise, the man appeared to be alone. His wagon was mostly open to one side with wares stacked and hanging from the frame which the canvas was supported on. Baubles and bells tinkled while the two-horse cart trotted up to Cas and Dean. He was no doubt a merchant of sorts, though his style was unlike the travelers that Cas knew back from the Valley.

"Just came back from Braeden," said the merchant. "On my way back home! Got a good load in. You headed home, too?"

"We uh, don't exactly have a home anymore," Cas mumbled.

"Oh! Not natives to Lawrence?"

"No.

"Nope!" said Dean.

"Okay, er…where'd you come from, then?"

Hesitating, Dean just said, "North."

The merchant looked them over.

"Hm. Heard you got hit with some bad weather in the recent past."

Cas gave a sigh. He tightened his grip on Dean's waist.

"A shame, but no matter. Where're you headed now?"

"Lawrence," said Cas. "Our first time."

"Ah, really now?" the merchant said, grinning. His face was quite thin, as was his body, and older than them both. He showed wide teeth. "You ought to make yourselves at home—since you say you don't have a home. Gonna feel like your new home when you enter!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Dean said rather dismissively. "What kind of crap are you selling?"

"Crap, huh?" the merchant said, sucking his cheek in. "All sorts of crap. Some gems, some new dowsers!"

"What?" asked Cas.

"Dowsers! Here, come have a look."

The man hopped off his seat at the front of the wagon, came down rickety little stairs and then along the side where the vendor's arrangement opened up. Dean and Cas got off of Ammy, too, and examined his goods with him.

The merchant picked up a formidable natural point of quartz that was wrapped with thin metal wire in such a way that a long chain was hanging from the top. The point faced the ground, able to swing freely.

"One of those Chuck things," the older man described, almost rolling his eyes. "Supposed to answer questions or something so-and-so…I dunno…was never my thing, but popular as Hell in Lawrence. Apparently they come from Arkhmoor. Ahh, you'll find out when you go to the city. So—any interest? Dowser?"

Watching the quarts point swing before him, Cas frowned. He had questions on his mind, now, and acted and courteous as possible.

"I…don't think so. What else might you have?"

"Just picked up a bunch of salt!"

"Ooh, salt!" Dean chimed in, grinning wide. "That's always useful! And we don't have much left now."

"You can buy it at Laaaawrence," the merchant teased, "But it'll cost you moo-ore! I gotta cheap deal right now, only 2 gratz."

"2 what?" asked Cas.

Dean's mouth hung open. He went to their cart and got one of the small pieces of gold, then brandished it to the merchant and asked, "How much can we get for _this?_ "

Not surprisingly, the man nearly shit himself. His clear eyes widened and he took a step closer.

"Well, hot damn!" he hollered. "Where'd you get that?!"

"Secret," Dean said. He smiled at Cas knowingly, with a little shimmer in his eye that said, "I am so impressed with you." But then he turned back to the vendor and asked, "So? How much salt can we get?"

"Man! I could trade you my whole cart for that! I don't take raw gold. You gotta get it changed into gratz. But I'm impressed, either way!"

Cas peeked at Dean and then the merchant.

"How do we change the gold?"

"Go to the banker in Lawrence," the man said. "I'm headed there, too. We can go there together. And hey, I'll keep my deal for 2 gratz, but it's gotta be by nightfall—or else it's going back up to 4!"

"That sounds reasonable," said Cas. "Can we make it by night?"

"Sure! If you don't stop."

Cas and Dean agreed. He seemed safe enough. Everyone loaded back up and they followed the traveler and went on, and on, and on—until they made it to their destination.

Once they were close enough, they could finally get a better look at the city's details. There was a great stone wall of about twenty feet tall that must have surrounded the entire city, save for farmland on the outside. A ways of walking between plots and small homes (made from mud and clay just like the one Cas had built) shed a better light on how these folks lived. The technique for making those houses was so much like the way Cas knew that it made him wonder.

The people of Lawrence were out in their fields, even at dusk to feed their animals and water crops. Dean and Cas had followed the river all the way down into the city, which appeared to run beneath the great stone wall and likely through the city.

Folks waved at the merchant; clearly he was well known in those parts, but they also waved to Cas and Dean. Everyone smiled and greeted them. A few ran up to the traveler and asked what he had for sale.

"I've got dowsers!" he would say, over and over.

He was right about Lawrence being crazy over those little crystals!

"I'll take two, I'll take two!"

"I want one!"

"Any in amethyst?

"Not yet, sorry!"

Cas and Dean watched as the merchant did business with tiny bronze pieces. They weren't close enough to see the detail on them. A very few people used silver pieces, too.

They decided they would go on ahead since the merchant was preoccupied with new orders. They faced a huge wooden gate that had guards all around it. Cas immediately recognized one of them as Uriel. He, apparently, also recognized Cas.

"Hail, Cas! Traveler from the west!"

"Hail, Uriel."

"I see—is this your mate? Were you successful?"

"Yes, indeed."

Cas beamed as he nudged at Dean.

"I am pleased," said Uriel. "And even more so to see you in our city. How is your egg?"

"Safe and sound with us," Cas smiled. Dean gave a nod and touched the bundle on his chest.

"I see. I bid you entry into Lawrence."

"Thank you."

Uriel's great big body turned to the side and he called out, "OPEN THE GATES!"

There were guard posts high up on the wall, probably accessible from within the city. They signaled to each other after Uriel's call, and Cas held his breath for a moment. Was that enormous, twenty foot gate going to swing open? But he quickly noticed there was a smaller gate, about half the size, fit within the first. That one opened with ease and Uriel motioned for them to enter.

"Immediately as you enter," the guard said, "Head to your right and you'll find the inn, where you can book a bed or room to rest."

"Um, we actually need to see the banker before any of that."

"The innkeeper had a map that you may use to find your way around."

"Thank you," said Cas.

"I do hope Lawrence is comfortable for you. In the event of any danger, you may find me or one of my guards at the gate or any of the elevated posts in the city."

"Thank you," Cas said once more. His mate responded similarly.

Ammy carried them inside and Cas and Dean then got their first glimpse of Lawrence. As night was falling and the sun barely cast any light into the walled city, people were going about and lighting torches that stood on tall posts, about eight feet in the air.

There was still quite the hustle and bustle. A few mud and clay homes like the ones on the outside but most of the buildings were made from a cool, slate-blue rock. The architecture was incredibly. Neither of them had seen such structures before.

But they couldn't spent all of their time staring at the city. They had plenty of time for that. Instead, they went towards the right and found the large building that they assumed was the inn. There was a stable around the side where Dean left Ammy, but he helped wheel their cart inside.

An older man sat behind a wooden table, presumably the innkeeper, while smaller tables and a few chairs sat off to the side. Candles kept the room lit.

"Evenin'," the innkeeper said, eying the new couple.

"Hey," Dean told him as he approached. "We'll need a room for tonight and probably a few more. But we need to see the banker first. The guards say you have a map?"

"Mmhmm," the keep hummed.

He took a large roll of papyrus out from beneath the table and spread it open. This was clearly a diagram of the city. Cas and Dean stared at it with wide eyes—they had never seen a map before!

"Um, excuse me," Cas muttered softly. "Where is the banker?"

The innkeeper stared at Cas like he spoke a different language.

"Huh? Right where it says 'banker.'"

Cas looked at Dean. He turned back to the innkeeper.

"I don't know how to see those words," he admitted.

The innkeeper frowned more behind his beard.

"You kiddin' me? Where're you two from?"

The couple exchanged a glance.

"North," said Cas, just as Dean had.

"Hm. All right. Welp, the banker is down this lane," he pushed his index finger over a road on the map, "to the left, then a right, and at the end. He'll be open a little bit longer but you'd better hurry."

"Thank you," said Cas.

"Yeah, thanks. We'll be back. Can we leave our horse?"

"Mmhmm."

"Thanks again."

Moving swiftly, Cas and Dean followed the keep's directions and cut through the city. Things were winding down considerably just in those few moments they were looking at the map! But they managed to walk by carts and children and people and animals until they found the banker.

"We need to change gold for—erm—gratz?"

"Yes, sir!" the woman who was presumably the banker beamed. "Got me right in the knick of time! How much gold you got?"

Thinking it would be smart to keep some of it unchanged, Dean only brought out about half. This was still enough to make the banker almost sweat.

"Dear me! Oh, Chuck!" she gasped. "Goodness gracious! I hope I have enough gratz to exchange!"

"You can take less, if that's better," Cas suggested.

The banker laughed.

"I'm fine, thanks though. I'll be right back."

She disappeared into a room in the rear, leaving Cas and Dean completely alone. Dean looked around. The stone was fanciful in candlelight, but that wasn't the only thing.

"Cas, you look—"

The banker returned just as Dean began to speak. She had four sacks in her hands that clinked and chinked loudly with every step. She straight to get them onto the counter.

"Here we are!" she said, gasping. "This outta do it."

"Wow," Dean hummed. He considered that two of those could by a large quantity of salt— _salt_ ; a prized commodity!

"May I take the gold now?" the banker asked with a tired grin.

"Yes, please!" Said Cas. "Thank you, very much!"

"My pleasure."

They put their heavy bags of money into the cart and made their way back to the inn. Exhaustion was creeping up quickly.

"All right," Dean said, approaching the innkeeper's counter for the second time. He didn't dare show off the bags of gratz. "How much for one night, one room?"

"Depends on the room. Little one on the ground floor, 4 gratz. Nice one on the second floor, 9 gratz."

Dean smirked at Cas.

"Let's do the 9 gratz."

The innkeeper looked impressed. "Right then." Dean handed him the bronze coins. "Room's number 3."


	22. Chapter 22

They were lucky that the rooms were numbered in tally marks and that Cas and Dean could both read them. There was a proper door on it, that used a latch and confused both of them, but they made it inside and were impressed.

"Where's the nest?" Dean asked.

Two small windows (which were just openings in the stone) let a little bit of light dribble inside, enough for Cas to light the candle which sat on a small, wooden table. Its warm glow was welcome within the cold, silent walls.

"This _is_ the nest," said Cas.

He was pointing at a proper bed that sat against the wall. It was low to the ground and just barely wide enough for two people to lie down. A blanket was spread on top and a pair of pillows rested cozily.

"This?!"

Dean walked to the bed and picked up the pillows.

"Shit, they could have at least made it up nicer, right?"

He began to tousle the covers around, all the while Cas just stood there holding the egg.

"We um," the beta began, "We are supposed to lay down with our heads there, and we put the blanket over us."

"That sounds uncomfortable. How d'you know about that?"

"The first fairy and her mate had a bed like this. They liked it."

"Huh."

Dean sucked his teeth and stared down at the bed. He put the pillows back where they had originally sat, then looked to Cas and smiled.

"Did you see where we wash up?" he asked.

"No. I'll ask."

Dean wouldn't let Cas leave the room alone so he joined him as they returned to the front desk. After inquiring, they learned that a room at the end of the hallway was for bathroom needs.

"I'll send Jo to help you out, since you can't read an' all," the innkeeper said.

He called for his attendant, who was a young, blonde woman wearing clothes that were designed for flexibility rather than fashion. She clearly spent her days toiling away at the inn.

"Yeah, Bobby?"

"Show this couple the washroom."

"Oh, sure. Okay."

Jo gave a slight nod before turning to Cas and Dean. She told them to follow her back upstairs, which they did, and then she led them to the room at the end of the hallway.

It would have smelled worse if the ventilation wasn't as efficient. There were so many windows that the outer walls looked like a jail cell. They could see ribbons of the city through each slotted opening, though it was mostly just the fire of the lampposts flickering.

"This is water for washing," Jo said, directing their attention to a large basin that sat upon a table. She pointed to a few urns next to it. "Those have fresh spring water. You can drink that or do anything else, just don't contaminate it."

"Spring water?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, there's a spring in the middle of the city." Jo smiled. "You should check it out in the morning."

"Sounds cool," said Dean.

"And this here," Jo continued, pointing to the last and largest bowl of water, "Is more water that you can wash up in. Don't drink it."

"Okay."

"Any more questions?" asked Jo.

"I guess it's obvious what _that's_ for, right?" he said, pointing to the opposing wall.

There was a long, boxlike bench from corner to corner that had four large holes on the top. You could easily sit on them.

"Hah, yeah," Jo laughed. "You can put any waste water down there, too. I like to take some water into my own bowl and use a towel to _clean up_."

"Smart," Dean agreed.

"Any more questions?"

"Yes, actually," said Cas. He smiled sheepishly. "Where exactly do the holes carry the waste water?"

Jo raised an eyebrow.

"The pipes. They go downstairs and then through the city."

"Really?"

Cas couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked at Dean, who was equally as impressed and astonished. Jo gave them a wary smirk.

"Then where does the waste go?" Cas asked further.

"Uh, place outside the city. I don't know. Do you need anything else?"

The couple exchanged positive glances.

"We're good," said Dean. "Thanks for your time."

"Of course. If you need me, I'll be in my room. Good night."

"Night."

"Thank you."

As soon as Jo left, Dean dropped his pants and sat down on the bench toilet to relieve himself.

"That's good," he grunted. "Way better than squatting in the woods, huh?"

Cas shrugged. He only took a piss and then got some water for Dean to clean up with. They both washed and then went back to their room.

"This is the craziest thing," Dean said upon returning.

Cas disrobed and sat on the bed.

"What, their sorts of nesting?"

"No."

Dean took all of his clothes off, too. He was feeling nice and clean.

"I mean this whole place—paying for a room, crapping into a tube…different, huh?"

"It's a very _arranged hospitality_ , I'd say."

Cas took the blankets down, trying to straighten up the mess Dean had left, and cuddled into bed.

"Try it."

Dean let out a sigh and joined Cas in bed. The hay-stuffed mattress was strange and the wool-filled pillows felt even stranger. He copied Cas and did his best to get comfortable while also following proper bed etiquette.

"It's weird," Dean said after a bit of tossing and turning. "How's the egg do with it?"

Cas had it in his arms with the fairy dress keeping it warm.

"Well, I think."

Dean turned on his side to face Cas. He leaned forward and gave him a kiss, which they held for a few nice moments.

"Try to sleep, Dean. We've been so busy…"

"What's tomorrow?"

Cas closed his eyes.

"We'll explore the city. Spend our money…it's not worth much anywhere else, is it?"

"I dunno. If the town the pack's in is anything like Lawrence, maybe we should hang onto it."

"We have more gold."

"But does the town have a banker?"

Cas hummed.

"Good point. We'll figure it out in the morning."

"Night, Cas."

"Sleep well, my love."

* * *

The morning started with a bang. It became suddenly obvious to Cas and Dean that there were many people staying at the inn along with them. Right as the sun was coming out, everyone else rose, too, and were making a great noise about it. Most of it came from downstairs.

"Urgh," Dean groaned.

He had managed to get comfortable in the bed and had Cas in his arms. He pulled him closer in response to the sounds of people around them.

"Aah," Cas gasped, "What is that…"

"People."

More sleep certainly wouldn't happen, so the couple gave up and decided to start their day.

"Where can I catch something?" Dean wondered out loud as he dressed.

"The river runs through the city, so we can head there and fish."

"Where do we cook it?"

"We'll look around."

They came downstairs to get their cart, but stopped when they found the source of all the noise—the area around Bobby, the innkeeper, which had been empty the night before was now full of people. They were sitting at the other tables with cups, bowls and eating utensils, eating and talking loudly. Jo could be seen wandering between them all with large, flat plates.

"Uh, 'xcuse me, Bobby?"

Dean leaned over to front desk and got the innkeepers attention.

"Mmhm?"

"What's going on here?"

Bobby looked at Dean as if he had three heads.

"Breakfast. What's it look like?"

"People cooking somewhere in here? We were wondering about that, actually. Where can I catch a fish around here?"

Bobby laughed.

"Catch a fish? Good luck! You think the fishermen'll let you take their crop?"

Dean furrowed his brow. He looked at Cas momentarily, hoping to get some further explanation but the beta simply shrugged and touched their egg.

"I don't understand," said Dean. "How do you guys eat?"

"Damn. You really aren't from around here, are you?"

"No."

The older man took a deep breath, sighed, then stood from his chair. With his hands on the desk to support himself, he leaned closer to Dean and spoke in a low voice (Cas wondered if this was him being polite and avoiding unwanted attention).

"This ain't a farm," Bobby explained. "They're outside the city. Within these walls, folks pay for their food. If you work catching fish, you're on a team of fishermen and you get paid to do that, then you sell the fish to inns and taverns that cook 'em. Make sense?"

Dean frowned.

"We have to pay for food? We can't just catch it?"

"Not unless you want to go out of the city. Or, well, if you live here. Buy some property and you'll have space ta' cook. But just visiting? You'll have to buy it."

"Why can't I just fish?" Dean argued, flaring his nostrils. Life in the city was _very_ different than being a hunter.

Bobby snorted.

"I told ya! The fishermen won't let that happen!"

"And who tells the fishermen what to do?"

"Was organized by the Lawrence Officials!"

"The who?"

"The Lawrence Officials! Used to be the king who put the groups together. He'd give his blessings to a worthy citizen who wanted to get folks together and start a group—fishermen, farmers, builders, what have ya…but now it's all the Officials."

Cas nudged into the conversation now.

"Um, Bobby…what...what happened to this king?"

"Killed by Azazel's crowd."

"Who?"

Bobby sighed.

"Azazel. Now I ain't here to give you a history lesson. If you want answers, go to the library. It's part of the castle. So do you wanna eat here or no?"

Dean made a small sound of protest. It was difficult to tell what Bobby thought about them.

"How much is it?"

"One grat per head."

"Sounds reasonable."

Dean gave the innkeeper two gratz, and the older man took them gratefully.

"You'd be surprised," he said with a sigh. "JO! Got two more over here."

"Okay! Just a second…"

"You fellas can take a seat if you'd like."

"Thanks," said Dean.

Cas grabbed his arm and they went to sit down. They watched what the other guests were doing—it was difficult to determine which people made up a group or if they were all just really friendly. Everyone was having a good time, though. There was plenty of laughing, drinking, and a few folks were smoking pipes. The clatter of cutlery and general noisiness of people filled the small room. Dean and Cas had overlooked the windows last night since they had shutters keeping them closed, but now they were open and letting the morning light pour in.

"Here you go!"

Jo came to their table with a big plate full of food. There were two plates and two cups.

"What is this?" asked Cas.

Jo giggled.

"It's breakfast!"

They watched as she set their meals down. Cas didn't know what to do—he had never had food a stranger prepared, and he had never seen food quite like that!

"Enjoy!"

She quickly turned away and disappeared into a room in the back, leaving the couple feeling more and more like outsiders.

"What is this?" Cas asked Dean.

On each plate was a couple slices of sausage, a handful of small, round fruits and a big slice of cheese. There was also a crumbly piece of bread.

"No idea."

Dean glanced over at the table next to theirs and saw three men eating with their hands. They drank voraciously and plopped piece after piece of food into their mouths. Cas picked up a slice of sausage and ate it carefully.

"It's meat," he said, puckering his lips, "But salty. Very salty."

"That's a good thing, right? Salt's good."

Dean took a bite of sausage, too, and seemed to enjoy it much better than Cas. He wasn't fond of the cheese though, but the bread and fruit were good. Cas agreed about the latter two.

"What do you think it's made out of?" Dean pondered, watching as Cas took the cheese from his plate and ate it.

"I don't know. I've never tasted such a thing! But it's good. We'll have to find out."

The drink wasn't water, either. There seemed to be no end to the new experiences, and this was only their first morning!

Cas took a sip and swallowed pensively. Dean slushed his around in his mouth.

"Is this a kind of dizzy-drink?" Cas asked.

"I don't _think_ so…"

"It's not tea…right?"

They both had another sip and thought about it more. Jo reappeared with a big urn in her hand.

"More juice?"

"More what?" asked Dean.

"Juice!"

"What is that?"

The young woman laughed.

"Apple juice."

"What what?"

"Apple juice! It's…here, have some more."

She refilled the cups and they both drank.

"It's made from apples. Fruits, you know."

Jo said nothing more and walked away, going to refill the other guests' cups.

"Oh!" Cas gasped. "The red fruits! The hard, red fruits. Yes, exactly! I didn't know you could make a drink from them."

Dean smirked. He realized what Cas was talking about.

"I think we're gonna learn a lot of new things in Lawrence."


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Note:

Damn, I messed up the order of the chapters again! This always happens when I post on this site (I mostly use my AO3 account). 21 was accidentally 22, or something, so we missed a chapter. Sorry for the confusion. Damn...

-M

When Dean and Cas left the inn and headed out into the streets of Lawrence, they were greeted by a hustle and bustle far greater than within their lodging. Horse drawn carts created a heavy traffic going, as well as people performing their jobs—folks carrying bags and bottles over their shoulders, some with fishing lines and others with objects neither of them recognized. They heard laughter, shouting, rapid chatting and the occasional whistling. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. A group of children went running down the street in front of them with carrying small bags and rolls of papyrus. They didn't know that they were going to school.

"Okay, now what?" Dean asked.

They had spent some time watching the people, but if they didn't want to be in Lawrence too long, they'd have to get started on their to do list.

"The library. It's part of the castle, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. But where's that?"

Cas narrowed his eyes. He peered down at his egg and touched it lightly.

"We'll have to ask someone."

"We could go back inside the inn," Dean suggested.

Cas smiled in response.

"Don't you think exploring the city is more fun?"

Dean shrugged.

"Sure," he said rather blankly.

They went down the main street and followed it a ways. To the left, there were houses. Women with eggs and babies were sweeping their porches or heading out to shop. A few had cauldrons in fires in their yards. Cas watched them as they passed and smiled more.

"It's different here," he remarked.

"Sure is," Dean said in a slightly grim tone. He sniffed and kept walking.

It wasn't very long until they ran into the merchant that had brought them to Lawrence. He saw Dean and Cas and waved to them. He was standing in front of his cart, which had been parked on one side of the street and the horses were nowhere to be seen.

"You missed your deal on salt!" he shouted. "I swore I'd see ya again! Too bad…"

Cas gave a week, happy shrug.

"We had to get our gold changed, and by the time were at the inn, we were too tired to find you. The city is overwhelming to say the least."

"Aah, I see."

The merchant folded his arms and looked over his shoulder. Bags of salt were sitting behind him.

"I'll cut you a deal, just 'cause I like you—I'll still sell you a bag for 2 gratz."

Dean and Cas looked to each other, shrugged, then Dean gave a small nod. They couldn't refuse his generosity at this point.

"Very well," said Cas. Dean handed him two gratz from his pocket. "We'll take a bag."

"Excellent!" The merchant cheered. He took the money gratefully and handed them the bag of salt. "I knew that'd be worth it! Hey, hey, where are you two headed?"

"We want to see the library at the castle," said Cas. "It's lucky you asked. Do you know where it is?"

"Castle's on the other side of the river-just follow the road to the west and take the bridge. It's obvious. See? You can tell where you're goin' 'cause the you can see the top of the castle."

He pointed and they followed the direction of his finger to where a large, grey building stood. It had pointed turrets and many small windows. Cas thought it was beautiful.

"Library's on the northern side," the merchant added.

"Thank you—very much."

Cas bowed softly and turned to Dean.

"Okay," said the alpha. "We're gonna go, then. Thanks for the deal."

"Yep!"

They walked away from the merchant as he waved goodbye, following the road to the west. It curved around several buildings that appeared to be job-related. The folks that went in and out of those were mostly men, and they carried tools, animals and supplies. Dean commented that they were probably all alphas.

"Imagine if we stayed," said Cas. "What job would you want?"

Dean shrugged.

"I like to do all of my own stuff. I'm not real crazy about the job idea."

"Oh, I know. But just for fun. If you had to, what would you do?"

"Guess I'd have to see what sorta jobs they have."

"Fair enough."

Before they made it to the bridge, another site distracted them. There was a clearing that the road wrapped around in a circle, and it was fenced off. Signs were posted here and there but they didn't serve a good purpose for Dean and Cas, of course.

"What is that?"

As they approached, it was apparent that the space went down into the ground. It was a large crater. Dean went to the edge of the fence and looked down.

"Woah."

"What is it?" Cas asked, coming up alongside him.

He looked, too, and saw that it went down about ten feet, and the entire space was around twenty-five or so across. It was rocky, and on one side the fence opened up and stairs had been carved into it. People were walking down into the crater with buckets. Cas observed that a pool of running water was at the center which streamed down from a crack in the rocks.

"That must be the spring they mentioned," he said.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Let's go down there and get a closer look."

They went to the opening in the fence and followed the bucket carriers down the stairs. It was noticeably colder down there. A small space around the water, which you would have to kneel to scoop up, or lean across to catch the fresh stream, allowed a small handful of people to stand together comfortably. There was another sign that had many words on it.

"What d'you think it says?" asked Dean, pointing to the sign, but Cas didn't answer. "Hey, Cas?"

The beta was standing right in front of the pool and staring down at it with his mouth open. He was mesmerized.

"Helloooo, Cas? Cas, what're you looking at? It's just water, right?"

Dean stepped over to Cas' side and gazed into the water as well.

"The shape," Cas muttered.

"Of what?"

"The bottom of the spring."

Cas pointed. Down at the very bottom, which only went four feet or so, was a very odd, wide shape of something. It almost looked like a giant, heavy bird had crashed into the rocks so hard that it left an imprint, like mud.

"What is that?" Cas asked in a gasping voice.

"No idea. Rocks are weird…"

Someone came up behind them and tapped Cas on the shoulder. He turned around quickly and saw an old woman, clutching an empty bucket in her hands and wearing a thin smile.

"First time in Lawrence?" she asked in a wheezy voice.

"Yes," said Cas. "Do you know what's—"

"Can't read?"

"The sign?"

"Indeed."

Cas frowned and looked to Dean.

"No, we can't. Do you know what's—"

"Where the angel fell," the woman said.

"What?" Dean asked as if he didn't hear her. "What did you say?"

The old woman smiled warmly. "The angel," she reiterated. "This is where they fell. Years and years ago, before Lawrence was Lawrence. An angel fell from the sky and cut that big hole in the ground. It opened up the spring, and some of the packs and herds gathered around and built the city. It was Lawrence—not the place, the man, King Lawrence, but he wasn't king at the time—who befriended that angel. He nursed them back to health."

Dean and Cas were speechless. There had been many farfetched tales and incredible creatures discovered on their time outside of the Valley, but this was the strangest. How casual the woman was also added to the oddity.

"An angel? Really?" Dean asked.

"Yes, really. You see their shape down there, don't you?"

Cas was still looking into the water. He watched the surface ripple over the giant wing impression.

"What happened?" he asked. "To the angel, I mean."

"Nobody knows for sure," the woman replied. Her voice grew slightly sad. "Lawrence and the angel made a deal of sorts, but we don't know the extent of it. All we know is that Lawrence said the angel would return _somehow_. But the scribes and philosophers don't think it would be the same angel."

"How strange," Cas said. His eyes remained on the water.

"You can read about it in the library, but—oh, you can't read…"

Dean frowned.

"Thanks for reminding us. I'm so sorry I never learned." His voice was filled with sarcasm but the woman didn't pick up on it.

"I'm sure someone at the library would be happy to read to you," she said, smiling again. "Be well."

She didn't give them a chance to say anything else before she went to fill her bucket and hobbled back up the stairs. Dean cursed under his breath.

"Right, Cas?" He mumbled, but there was no answer. "...Cas? Hey, Cas!"

"Huh?"

Dean nudged his mate.

"What?"

"Stop staring at the spring. Let's go check out the library. We can get more details there than we can by looking."

Cas nodded. He painfully pulled himself away from the water and slipped his fingers into Dean's hand. He gave a tired sigh. They went back up the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. I just feel sad…looking at the spring makes me sad."

"Don't worry about it, babe."

They got back up to the ground level and looked for the path once more. They had been thrown off slightly and had to get their bearings once more. Cas looked up to the sky to get the direction, but he gasped and let out a tiny cry when he saw dark clouds coming in from the north.

"No!" he shouted. A few people around him stopped and looked at him oddly.

"Cas, hush. It's fine."

"C-Clouds! Storm!"

"Baby, baby," Dean cooed. He put his arms around Cas and held him gently. "That's just some rain. It happens, remember? The bad storm came when it was real, real hot."

Cas trembled. He was suddenly embarrassed and felt like everyone was staring at him, but the overwhelming fear of another storm destroying his life had him paralyzed.

"Let's go back to the inn," said Dean. "It's okay."

Shaking, crying and clinging to his egg, Cas followed Dean very closely as they ran back to the inn. Nobody else in Lawrence was acting odd. They were going about their day as if nothing was wrong. Dean pointed this out but it didn't help.

"My herd died because they thought it was just a regular storm," Cas sniffed. "What if…"

"Hush, stop worrying yourself. It's fine. I promise. I told you it was a bad storm last time, remember?"

Cas frowned sadly and kept a fair pace with Dean. They jogged past the vendors and cart, people with tools and meats and vegetables until they made it back to the inn. They walked inside quickly and Cas immediately took a seat in the dining hall. He pet his egg repeatedly. Bobby eyed them over his desk.

"You two all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, just…"

Dean stopped. He looked at Cas and felt his heart breaking. The beta was terrified. Tears ran down his face and he sobbed quietly.

"Just a little scared. It's fine. Thanks."

"Worried about the storms?" Bobby asked.

"Kinda," said Dean.

"No need. These walls have withstood years an' years a' rain. Had some heavy wind and crazy lightnin', but never seen no trouble from it."

Dean leaned closer to Cas and whispered in his ear, "See?" But Cas just kept shaking.

The storm eventually came but it really was just rain. There were a few rumbles of thunder and a tiny bit of wind, but it passed quickly. Nothing had changed.

"See?" Dean said, looking out the window once the sun was coming back out. "We're safe. It's totally fine."

Cas closed his eyes. Dean wiped the tears from his cheeks and kissed him on the top of his head.

"This place is safe," Cas whispered. Some relief was present on his face. "The walls…they're strong…it's safe."

Bobby must have been listening still.

"Told ya," he said.


	24. Chapter 24

"Nothin' to worry about," the innkeeper reassured them. He gave a slight smile. "Lawrence is the best place in all of Kaz to weather a storm."

Dean looked up.

"Kaz?"

"Mmhmm."

"What's Kaz?"

Bobby suddenly stared at Dean in disbelief. His bearded mouth hung open and he had to work hard to shut it. Dean glanced at Cas momentarily.

"You said Kaz, right? Not Cas?"

"Kaz," Bobby repeated. "It's where we are, boy! The Great Land of Kaz!"

Here, Cas joined in.

"The Great Land of Kaz? Do you mean the Great Land? It has a proper name?"

"All I know is the Great Land of Kaz is where we are! This whole ginormous island which we sit on is the Great Land of Kaz. Here."

Bobby took a map from underneath his table. It was different than the one of the city. Cas and Dean both gathered to look it over.

"This is the Great Land of Kaz, see?" Bobby said, pointing to the paper.

There was the outline of a great island. The couple had difficulty understanding it.

"Ya said you're from the north, right?"

" _Yeah_ ," Dean answered slowly.

"North 'a Lawrence—see, here's Lawrence right there—is the volcano. That's them mountains here."

"The Valley," Cas gasped. "That's it, then. But…but what's…what's all of this?"

The beta gestured to the blank area west of the volcano. It was left blank, with only three words marking it.

"Up here," said Bobby, pointing to the northern most point of the map, "Is Azazel's domain. We don't go there. Nobody goes there. 'Cept the King. But that's why he's gone now…"

"And this?"

Cas moved his finger just south to where there was another word.

"Oh, that's Purgatory. We don't go there, either. Sometimes the guard heads out that way but it's just mountains. Bad folk live out there. Probly where we lost the king."

Cas and Dean looked at each other. This map was a lot to take in. They had lived their lives thinking the Great Land was an endless, unknown entity when all along these people had figured it out. They almost felt disappointed.

"Well?"

Bobby was still holding the map open for them, staring.

"Dean," Cas said gently. "Let's go."

" _Dean?_ " Bobby asked.

His face changed, softening somewhat. Dean stared blankly.

"Uh, yeah, what?"

Bobby shook his head. He forced a laugh.

"Parents wanted you to have a lucky life, eh?"

"I _guess?_ "

"Dean," Cas said again. "We need to go before the sun goes down."

"Okay, okay. We'll be back later for another night."

Bobby nodded, still smiling.

"All right, then."

With the storm cleared, Cas was feeling much better. They got back on the path and headed around to the castle. They passed the spring again, where Cas looked over the rail again and sighed. Dean encouraged him to keep up.

It wasn't long until they found the bridge. It crossed over the river and went to a different looking district of the city. There were no longer bustling crowds of workers and women. There were no vendors, no markets, no fires or animals. All of the buildings were short, sturdy barracks and the only people they saw were either guards or well-to-do looking sorts with fancy clothes and great stacks of books and papers. This led to the castle.

"They said the library is off to the side or something, right?" Dean asked, looking around.

"I don't remember," Cas admitted. "Let's ask…excuse me?"

Cas waved down a tall man who was carrying a large, leather-bound book. He eyed the couple and clearly knew they weren't from Lawrence.

"Are you lost?" he asked calmly.

"Only a little," said Cas. "We're looking for the library."

"Oh, yes, it's just over there."

The man pointed to a small door to one side of the castle. Cas nodded.

"Thank you very much."

"Not a problem. Good day."

He hurried past them and Cas and Dean were on their way.

The castle was tall and almost scary, though beautiful. Guards that wore armor like Uriel's stood at every door, watching silently or chatting amongst themselves. When Cas and Dean approached the library, the guard that was standing there stopped them.

"What business do you have?" he asked in a stern voice.

"Um," Cas gasped. He was intimated by his tone.

"We just want to get out the library," said Dean. "Want to learn about your city."

The guard gave a stiff nod.

"Very well," he said, stepping aside. "You may enter."

"Thanks."

"Thank you," Cas said quietly.

The opened the wooden door and stepped inside the library. Neither of them knew what books smelled like, but old paper and leather was the first thing they smelled. It wasn't a very high room, but row after row of wooden bookshelves went to the ceiling. There were tables and chairs that had a couple of people sitting in them and reading, and towards the back there were more.

Since they couldn't read, Cas and Dean needed assistance. The folks who were reading seemed too preoccupied to be bothered, so they strolled between the bookshelves and headed towards the back. Great stained glass windows were on the wall that faced the outside, sending colored light across the floors. At each table, candles waited for eager readers to benefit from.

At the end of the library they found people who were not reading, but writing. One of them looked up when they saw Cas and Dean and greeted them softly.

"Hail," she said. "What brings you here?"

"We were interested in the history of Lawrence," said Cas. "But…my mate and I can't read."

"I am one of the top historians here," the woman said, smiling, "I would be happy to help. What interests you the most?"

"All of it," said Cas. He looked to Dean. "Your king, his disappearance, and the spring…"

"Oh, yes, the spring."

A sudden giddiness grew on the woman's face.

"There's _so_ much to say about Lawrence. Where do I begin? Why don't you take a seat…"

Dean and Cas both sat down at the woman's table. She introduced herself as Dorothy.

"It's nice to meet you, Dorothy," said Cas. "I am Cas and this is my mate, Dean."

Dorothy blinked in Dean's direction.

"Dean? Did you say _Dean?_ "

"Uh, yeah," Dean said. He wrinkled his forehead. "What's wrong with my name? This is the second time."

Dorothy hummed.

"I'm sure it's a coincidence," she said. "Let me begin our story and you will judge for yourself."

"O-okay…"

"A long, long time ago when the Great Land of Kaz was nothing more than packs and herds of hunters and gatherers, a meteorite fell into the ground. It ripped a giant crater near the river and opened up a spring. The sight drew attention from some hunters and gatherers, and upon investigating they realized that the meteorite had been an angel.

"The angel was damaged from the fall, and one of the hunters, a man named Lawrence, nursed them back to health. They became great friends. The angel taught the people how to build with stone and mud and soon there was a small city. Lawrence was decided to be the king and he took care of the people. He mated and the royal lineage began.

"Apparently the angel had fallen for a reason, the old writings say, and soon they disappeared to finish or start the business they arrived for. The city of Lawrence continued to grow and thrive, but King Lawrence himself was sad. He missed the angel. His missed their company. Even his mate and his child didn't curb his sadness.

"We don't know what Lawrence did, but we speculate that he left the city in search of the angel and somehow got entangled in dangerous business. He eventually returned but he was gravely and mysteriously ill. A sort of madness had poisoned him. The last writings of his are mostly crazed rambles, but the final page he wrote had been important to our history."

"What was it?" Cas asked.

"He said that the angel would come back, somehow," Dorothy explained. " 'The angel will return one day. It may not be that angel, but a crown will announce their return.' That is what he said."

"But they didn't come back, did they?"

"We don't know."

Dean cleared his throat.

"Okay, great. There's a lot of weird crap in Kaz. What about your recent king? What happened to him? Why's everyone so messed up about him going away?"

Dorothy gave a weak smile.

"Our king," she began, "King John. He was a wonderful ruler. Very interested in the people. Trouble was after him, though—Lord Azazel from the darklands." She paused here to sigh. "We don't know anything about Azazel except that he is, or was, evil and cruel and was bent on killing King John."

"He was killed?" Cas asked.

"We don't know," said Dorothy. "His struggle with Azazel goes back quite far. After he was crowned king, one of Azazel's henchmen broke into the city and meant to capture John. There was a fight and the henchman was killed, but this roused John's curiosity. Against the wishes of his officials, King John insisted that he would go and find Lord Azazel. A few of his guards went with him. They were gone for months.

"When he returned, he had not even gone into the darklands. Instead, he had found a pack of hunters and fallen in love with one of their betas. He came home with her and they married. His feud with Azazel stopped momentarily when his first child was born, but it started again when the baby, a son, was a year old.

"Another henchman had come. Instead of killing him, King John took him prisoner and shortly thereafter left with him. He said little, except that his wife, Mary, should not worry. He promised her that he would put an end to Azazel's grievances.

"Mary was with egg again after King John left. She was alone in the castle with her son and another on the way. For a month, she was quiet. Her staff had difficulty reaching out to her—but, since she was a hunter, it was always a little hard. One day she decided she would find King John. She left with her son and the egg. And…and we never saw any of them ever again. That was almost thirty years ago."

"Huh."

Dean huffed a few times.

"Weird stuff, right?"

He looked to Cas, who was deep in thought. Dorothy kept nodding as if someone was talking to her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked Cas.

"There were words you used," he began, "About Lawrence and John. You said _egg_. Did they…did they only have one egg?"

Cas' hands touched the bundle of his own egg on his chest. Dorothy nodded.

"Yes," she said. "That's a sign of the Winchester clan."

"Winchester?" Dean asked.

"The royal lineage. They have one egg."

Cas and Dean looked at each other.

"But they aren't the only people ever to have one egg, right?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure," said Dorothy. "I've never noticed…why do you ask?"

Cas took a deep breath. He opened the bundle and showed Dorothy his single egg. Her eyes widened.

"One?" she asked. "And…one egg and a Dean?"

Suddenly, Dean jumped out of his seat and slammed his palms on the table.

"WHY IS EVERYONE SO HOT ON MY NAME?!" he shouted.

Dorothy let out a tiny laugh. She shook her head. The other writers sitting near them had stopped working and looked over at them. Dorothy was nervous but not because of that.

"Because Dean was the name of Mary's first son!"


	25. Chapter 25

"I'm sorry, but I do have to tell this to the Officials."

Dorothy suddenly got up and started to leave the library. Dean pursued her, looking shocked.

"Woah, woah!" he called out. "Wait a second! I don't want any—any big deal or something!"

"It's too coincidental!" Dorothy said. She kept walking quickly. "We have to confirm. Please, keep up with me. I don't want you unattended."

"Argh."

Dean grumbled to himself as he and Cas followed Dorothy through the library. Instead of using the entrance they came in through, she veered off down a row of books and went through a smaller door. She held it open and motioned for them to come through.

It led down a narrow hall which surely went through the castle. It turned once and then they came to another door. Dorothy held it open again, but now they found themselves in a great, giant room. The ceiling was at least five times what they expected in a room, and it expanded quite far. Stained glass lined the walls and, while the room was mostly empty, a row of chairs sat at the end. Five meek seats were in front of two great, stuffed ones made of elaborately carved wood. There sat five people in the five chairs, all dressed in black and doing work in books. They looked up when Dorothy came in.

"Miss Dorothy?" one of them asked. He got out of his chair and approached her. "What is the matter? You look grave."

"I have here a man who is quite possibly our lost prince."

The man who was standing, an older gentleman with thinning hair, looked to Dean and Cas. Upon a quick inspection, he knew who was the alpha and he walked up to Dean, his hands folded behind his back.

"What gives you this reason?" he asked.

"His mate has given him a single egg," said Dorothy, "And he is named Dean."

"Did your mother give you this name?" the older man asked.

"I guess," said Dean. "I didn't know her."

"And where did you come from?"

"I uh," Dean paused.

Now was not the time to generalize his beginnings. That was great for ordinary people like Bobby, but the situation was quickly getting out of hand here and lying wouldn't help.

"I'm from a pack of hunters. The pack of the plains."

"Hmm, I see…"

This strange man kept looked Dean over, humming thoughtfully a few times. He looked at their egg, too, and a little at Cas. Then he decided he had finished and went back to his chair. Dorothy waited in silence the entire time.

"What do you think?" she asked at last.

"I think," said the man, taking a deep breath, "That a visit to the Seer is in order."

"The Seer?" asked Cas.

"Mmm, yes. He'll know. Dorothy? Send orders to the guards for an escort."

"Yes," Dorothy said.

She gave a small bow and walked away, leaving Cas and Dean alone in the hall. The man they were speaking to immediately went back to writing, and it suddenly seemed as if the couple did not exist. If Dean was their king, they certainly didn't care much about him.

Cas said nothing. His eyes flicked over to Dean's a few times and they exchanged silent confusions, then he looked at the two chairs behind the row of people. These were old, very old, and had been made with painstaking detail. Their ornate wooden frames housed a cushion and backing of rich, red fabric. Upon each seat there sat a crown—one was large and gold, while the other was a thin, silver tiara. Cas considered how much they were worth.

"Must be waiting on the king," Cas whispered to Dean.

"Yeah…"

Finally, the awkwardness was broken when two men came into the room. They were tall and well-built, dressed in the guard's armor. Upon their arrival, the older man looked up and gave a smile.

"Ah, gentlemen," he said calmly, "So good of you to be here. Please, escort this couple to the Seer at once. Take great care of them."

"Yes, sir," one of the guards said.

He then turned to Dean and motioned for him to follow. The other went to Cas' side and they all left the great hall. Cas noticed another small door off to the side as they left, where a young blonde woman was sticking out her head. She smiled at Cas and the door closed.

The Seer lived in a small house that wasn't too far away from the castle. It sat all alone, quite dilapidated. There were no windows and no signs of life—if Cas and Dean had passed it earlier, they would have thought nobody lived there.

"Sir?"

One of the guards knocked on the door. It slowly opened. There stood an old man with sallow cheeks and thinning dark hair. He turned directly to face the guard, but his eyes were closed.

"What business do you have here?" the man, presumably the Seer, asked in a cool, accented voice.

"Orders from the Officials, sir," said the guard. "We've brought two outsiders who wish to speak with you."

"Uhh—"

Dean almost interrupted but he decided to stay quiet. The Seer looked in his direction with his closed eyes. He gasped softly.

"Very well," the man said. He slinked back into his house.

"Are we going in?" Cas asked the guards.

"Yeah, go 'head."

"Thank you…"

Cas and Dean went in while the guards waited out front. The Seer's house was entirely dark. No candles and no windows made it impossible to see anything. After the front door closed, Dean nearly tripped.

"A candle," said the Seer.

Suddenly a length of wax was handed to Cas.

"Oh!"

He was also given a flint. Working in the dark, he got the candle lit quickly so they could see. The house was just one room with few pieces of furniture. Many crystals and odd tapestries were placed here and there.

"Are you blind?" Cas asked.

The Seer sat at a table, his hands folded together and his closed eyes right on Cas.

"Yes," he said.

"What kind of _seer_ are you if you can't even see?" Dean asked roughly.

The Seer sniffed once and pointed to an empty seat.

"Sit," he said.

Dean looked at Cas with wide eyes. This man moved as if he could see perfectly. They both joined him at the table.

"What have the Officials spoken with you about?" the Seer asked.

"Not much," said Dean. "They think I'm their king or prince or something."

"Why?"

"Because I'm named Dean, I guess. And my mate here had one egg. And, I dunno…I don't really want this kind of trouble."

"Trouble? How is it trouble? King John lived a rich life…aside from Lord Azazel's bounty on him. But that is another matter…"

Dean swallowed stiffly. He took Cas' hand.

" _Don't_ ," the Seer interrupted immediately. They released each other's fingers. "Thank you. I need to focus on your energies better."

Several minutes of silence passed while Dean and Cas waited awkwardly. Cas put the candle on the middle of the table and kept his hands on the egg. The Seer focused on Dean first and then to Cas. After some time, he finally spoke, looking at Dean once more.

"You certainly have energy of the Winchesters."

"That's the royal lineage, correct?" asked Cas.

The Seer nodded and kept "looking" at Dean.

"So?" Dean asked. He didn't like having a blind man stare at him and be able to figure out more than he knew.

" _So_ ," said the Seer, rather stiffly, "There are two possibilities of who you are. Mary of the Winchesters left Lawrence with her infant son named Dean, yes. I speculate that she returned to the pack in which she came…where King John found her…she probably knew that Azazel was going to kill her and left Dean in the safe and unknown hands of the hunters. However…"

The Seer paused here a took a deep breath. Dean shifted in his seat. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to have Cain there. Cain was twice his age and had always been with the pack. He surely knew things that Dean didn't—and wasn't—supposed to know.

"Mary _was_ with another egg," the Seer finally continued. "There is a chance that, I don't know why, she told the pack that her first son had a different name and then had a second and named him Dean."

"Why would she do that?" asked Cas.

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Do you think it's likely?"

"No, but it is possible and we ought not disregard it."

Dean cleared his throat.

"So, uh, if there's an older son, a second Dean, what am I?"

"A prince, unless the other son is dead. I don't know."

Dean frowned.

"Helpful," he muttered. "What about Cas? My mate? What about him?"

"There is much to say about him," said the Seer, "But I'm not finished with you."

"Argh, okay. What? What am I supposed to do? Find my brother? Become king? I don't wanna be king."

"There's only one thing you really can do," said the older man. "That is to finish where your father left off."

"And what's that?"

"Lord Azazel."

"But—"

Cas interrupted here. His eyes were wide and his nose twitched. The Seer did not turn to him but he paused to listen.

"How do we know Lord Azazel is still alive? How do we know King John is dead?"

"I know some things," said the Seer. "I know that King John is no longer on this plane. I can tell. I know. As do I know that Mary is deceased, too."

"But my brother?" asked Dean.

"I have never sensed him. I wouldn't know what to search for."

"Ugh. Okay…so what do I do? I just declare my solidarity to Lawrence and go get myself killed slaying this asshole who hates my father?"

"Not just your father, your lineage."

"Do you have _any idea_ why?"

The Seer paused.

"No," he said plainly.

"Great. Just great."

Dean got up.

"I'm done here. I don't think I want to be involved. I've had enough trouble, enough drama. I lost most of my pack, Cas lost most of his herd…we've seen some real shit. But I was never hunted by a weird guy and I was happy not knowing who my parents were. I don't need to live in a city where I can't hunt for my own fuckin' food! I'm done. We're leaving. I'm gonna go back to my pack and raise my child with my mate. Come on, Cas."

Cas was still sitting. He looked up at Dean sadly.

"What?" asked Dean.

"I want to hear what he has to say about me, at least. Since we're here."

The Seer sighed.

"Are you done yet?" he groaned.

Dean narrowed his eyes. His shoulders relaxed but he still stood up.

"Okay, fine. What d'you think about Cas?"

"I think a lot about him," the Seer said. He turned his attention to the beta now. "I think he has a strange aura I've never seen before. And the egg, especially…I'm very, very intrigued."

"Strange how?" asked Cas. He blinked a few times

"Strange, I don't know…strange as in…strange as a…I'm afraid I'm at a loss for words. It's peaceful, at least. You have a good vibe. Dean, however, is just as bold and brash as his father."

Dean let out a stiff sigh.

"Wonderful for a leader, but possibly difficult as a lover."

"Dean isn't difficult," Cas said softly. "He's quite wonderful."

"Be that as it may…"

"Okay, _now_ we're going," Dean said quickly. "Come on, Cas. Let's go see how Cain is doing."

Reluctantly, Cas blew out the candle and followed Dean out of the house. He felt strange about all of this.

"You can't fight fate," the Seer mused as they were leaving. "You're going to come back to the throne eventually. It's in your blood."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever."

When they left the Seer's house, the two guards were still standing there. They came to attention and followed Dean and Cas as they walked away.

"Woah, hold on," said Dean. "I don't need you guys to come with us. We're leaving now."

"Leaving where?" one of the guards asked.

"Leaving Lawrence. We've got a little place to get back to."

"Oh…erm…"

The guards exchanged confused glances.

"We at least have to see you out as you leave."

"Fine, fine…"

Dean gave an exhaustive sigh.

"Remember," said Cas. "We need to buy tools for your pack before we leave."

"Yeah, 'course."

They came back to the inn and grabbed up their belongings. Dean readied Ammy with the cart, but took out a bunch of gratz to go shopping with. Unfortunately, word of Dean's lineage had already reached the common folk of Lawrence.

"No, no! I can't possibly ask you to pay!"

The blacksmith protested when Dean offered to cover the cost of the weapons he was taking.

"Oh, come on," Dean groaned. "You worked hard for this. Here, please. Take my gratz. It's fine. I don't need them."

"I could never take money from the king!"

Dean groaned again, louder this time.

"If I'm king, then you have to heed my orders, right?"

The blacksmith gave a low bow. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Take my money, then," Dean said.

The man hesitated, looking at Dean with pained eyes.

"V-very well," he finally agreed.

Dean handed him a generous fistful of gratz—far more than the weaponry was worth. The blacksmith began to cry.

"I have-I have never—in—ah!"

Dean patted him on the arm and gave a smile.

"See? It's good. Take care of yourself with it."

The rest of their shopping went this way. It was very irritating to Dean since he had to impose his "will" onto each person who refused to take his money. That was especially heart breaking when the merchant was clearly poor. Dean, however, did not give in. He made sure that everyone he received goods from was compensated handsomely.

"Okay, we're going now," Dean told Cas when the cart was full to bursting with goods. "Out to the west so we can find the town where my pack is. Is that all right with you?"

Cas nodded weakly.

"What's wrong? You don't actually want me to be king, do you?"

"I…"

Cas pulled at the egg's protective sack nervously.

"Cas, tell me…"

"I'm scared to leave," the beta admitted. "This city is safe. We are well loved and cared for. I don't…I don't want to be killed by—by anything!"

"But this Azazel guy is probably going to kill us if we stick around."

Cas frowned. Dean was right. If Lord Azazel knew where Dean was before he made it to Lawrence, he surely would have been killed by now.

"All right," Cas sighed. "Then we will go."


	26. Chapter 26

Leaving Lawrence was by far the most painful thing Dean had ever done. Though he did not want to stay, the faces of the townsfolk watching them trot away on horseback broke his heart. Everyone had learned he was the rightful heir and they desperately wanted him to stay.

"Please, King Dean!"

"Stay!"

"We need you! Lawrence needs you!"

"Long live the King! Bring him home!"

"You are our only hope! Please!"

The faces of men, women and children with tears streaming down their cheeks was almost impossible for Dean to leave, but he just couldn't bear to stay. He gave Cas a firm kiss on the forehead as they walked through the giant doors to leave the city for good.

"You've made this choice _very_ fast, Dean…"

"I know. I had to. We had to."

Cas kept his arms snug around Dean's waist not just to hold himself in place but so he could touch the egg, now strapped to the alpha.

"We learned so much in the last day. I'm just…I'm concerned that you haven't thought it through enough. I mean, you're probably their king. They _king_ , Dean. We could live a good life…"

"We won't," Dean said sternly. "I know you keep thinking that, but remember how the Azazel guy is out to get the royalty. Sure, we would be in good shape for a while, but then he'd come and kill us. That's not worth it. Let's go back to the pack and forget about it."

Cas sighed. No matter how much he tried to argue Dean's explanation, he found himself unable to retort. The city seemed safe but only as long as Lord Azazel stayed put. They couldn't possibly guarantee that, and it wouldn't be fair to his child to stay in such a danger zone.

There wasn't much to say as they rode out into the plains. Ammy trotted and trotted, lugging the heavy cart behind with surprising ease. There was a bridge over the river heading west. This would hopefully take them to the small town that Dean's pack was now residing.

Halfway through the journey, they stopped among some low trees and set up a camp for the night. It was nice to be living off of the land again. Dean caught a couple of rabbits and they stewed them over a fire.

"This is the way I want to live," Dean said, smiling at Cas over the flame.

They were both sitting on the grassy prairie, Cas with his arms around their egg. He was silent.

"Cas? Something wrong?"

"I don't really want to leave the city…"

Dean sighed. He looked down at the fire sadly and took a deep breath.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I wish we _could_ stay. You're happy there, and that means more to me than hunting and being with my pack and any of that shit. But you gotta understand that I'm not being difficult because it's 'displeasing' to me. I'm not having a tantrum because it's something I'm unfamiliar with…our lives are in danger in Lawrence. Please, please understand, Cas."

Cas peered across the fire and stared at Dean.

"I do understand," he admitted sadly. "I know you're right. That doesn't stop me from feeling badly about it, though…"

"I'm sorry."

Dean moved over so that he was right next to Cas. He put his arms around him and held his body close, kissing his messy hair. Cas closed his eyes.

"We have to put the child first, all of the time," Cas whispered.

"I know."

"Being with the pack is best."

"Yeah…"

"But, Dean—I was thinking about something else, too."

"What?"

Cas moved away just enough so that he could look up into Dean's eyes. He had a funny smile on his face.

"Your brother or sister…"

"They could be anywhere. They could be dead."

Dean frowned.

"Maybe they weren't even born."

"But if they were?"

"It wouldn't matter. If they're still alive, they're in a safe place and they should stay there. Why? What's got you thinking about this so much?"

Cas pressed his lips together.

"I remembered a little story that I heard in the forest," he said. "The first fairy that I found, Ruby, she had a mate who was a hunter."

"Uh, right."

Dean didn't recall the details too well, especially since Cas mentioned them only in brief.

"I thought it was strange that a hunter was there all by himself, and when I asked him, he said that his mother had come into the forest, left him as an egg and died. Do you think…"

"It doesn't matter," Dean answered quickly.

"What?"

Cas' heart sank. He thought he was on the brink of making a positive change in Dean's life.

"Why doesn't it matter?" He asked, painfully.

"Because if he's my brother, then he's found a safe place. I'd hate to tell him about this shit with Lawrence and royalty and Azazel, only to get him curious and eventually killed. That's not nice."

"But—but—but you don't have to tell him. You can at least meet him."

"Why?"

"I…"

Cas' voice faded. His chest heaved and tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Cas?!"

Dean snapped out of his bitterness and took Cas' face in his hands.

"What's wrong? Why're you crying?!"

"It's…it's because I had siblings but I never had the chance to know them."

Dean swallowed a tight lump in his throat. He breathed through slightly-separated lips with his eyes darting back and from across Cas'.

"A big clutch?" he asked gently.

"Four."

"What happened? You never talked about your family before."

"My father died when I was quite young," Cas explained with teary eyes. "I never knew or remembered him. One of the eggs in my mother's clutch never hatched, then two more got sick after they came out. I was the healthiest and the only one that made it. Poor luck…I'm fortunate enough that I was too little to remember any of them."

"Oh, Cas, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

Dean hugged Cas tightly. He pressed his lips against his forehead and sighed.

"Mother died when I was 13, so I of course remember her. She was sick, too. We were always unhealthy except for me."

"Cas…"

"If I ever had the chance to meet my brother, I would take it," Cas said.

"But don't you understand?" Dean asked, trying to sound gentle. "If you know the pain of loss, don't you get why I don't want to get mixed up with him? I could never be responsible for my brother's death. I couldn't deal with it. It's easier to stay away and always wonder what could have been."

Cas sniffed loudly.

"I suppose you're right."

"Assuming he is my brother, he has a mate and children, right?"

"Yes."

"Then his life's good. There's no reason to destroy it."

"I understand," Cas nodded. "You are right. Painful, but right."

Nothing more was said about Dean's possible brother for the rest of their journey. They were up early and on their way towards the town, in generally good spirits since they would be with the pack again soon. Ammy carried them happily.

At last, there came a cluster of mud houses on the horizon. They resembled Cas' old herd in the valley. Smoke rose from behind a few and people were seen walking here and there. They approached and soon saw a familiar figure.

"Dean!"

It was Meg. She came running towards the horse with her arms open.

"DEAAN!"

Dean hopped down and then helped Cas and handed the egg over to him. Meg was ecstatic to seem them both and hugged Dean firmly.

"I thought we'd never see you again!"

"Nope, here we are."

Meg smiled at Cas, too.

"Where did you find him?"

"In the mountains," said Cas. "He was safe."

"That's amazing! I'm so glad you're—"

"Where's Cain?" Dean interrupted.

Meg's face suddenly dropped and turned pale.

"He's…"

"He can't be," Cas gasped.

"He's not doing well. We never found the unicorn hair, and…well…"

"Take me to him," said Dean. "Please, Meg."

"Okay."

With the mood suddenly somber, Meg turned and motioned for Dean to follow her. They walked quickly through the little village, which looked nice and comfortable, and to a small house near the back.

"Here," said Meg. "He's not contagious but we still only like one person at a time."

"Sure. Thank you."

Dean gave short nod and entered the house, leaving Cas and Meg outside.

"Cain?"

The house was mostly dark except for a thin ray of light that sparkled through a narrow window. A large nest in the back had the alpha leader curled up in it. Different herbs and tonics sat around him and his face looked terribly bleak. Dean stared at him, feeling his heart pumping in his chest.

"Is that…you, Dean?"

Cain's voice was brittle and weak. Dean could hardly hear him.

"Yes, I'm here. Cain…what…"

Dean knelt beside the nest and stared at the leader with deep concern. He looked terrible. There was no color in his face. His body was thin. He wasn't at all the man he had been, and considering how little time it had been, the disease must have been taking a quick and brutal toll.

"I'm glad," Cain whispered. "Where…"

"Lawrence."

Dean heard Cain gasp softly. The older man turned his head and looked him straight in the eyes. There was some worry.

"I know, Cain. I know about everything. Do you think you could, erm, maybe…did you know about my mom?"

"Mary," Cain whispered.

Dean held his breath momentarily. His heart was going to jump out from his ribs.

"I was…I was vying for her love, you know…"

"What?"

"Almost…almost mated with her…good beta of our pack…"

Dean listened attentively.

"Then John, that king…he came and…and Mary loved him. Truly loved him…we had no idea…left…both left…"

Cain paused here to cough. It was terrible and wheezy, sounding as if it caused him great pain. Dean winced at the noise and wished he could help.

"She came back, years later…had you…just a boy…she was…she was scared. Something was wrong…wouldn't tell us. Said John was gone…said a demon was tracking her…said she was going to die…left you here."

"Um, did she, did she have another egg, too?"

"Ah, yes…the other…the other egg went with her…maybe she had plans to chase the demon…don't know…never knew…never found them."

"So you always knew?" Dean asked. He took a deep breath. "You knew I was the rightful king, why didn't you tell me?"

"Dean…it was….it was too dangerous. If the demon…Mary's demon…if she did not kill it, then it would…it would find you."

Dean nodded. He wasn't asking Cain to be aggressive, but rather to confirm his own opinion.

"If I…if I told you about…kings…queens…Lawrence…curiosity would…have you leave the pack…couldn't have you get killed…"

"I understand."

"You aren't…aren't mad?"

"No. In fact, when I found out who I was, the people of Lawrence wanted me to stay and be king. But I figured it would be too dangerous. I couldn't risk Cas and our egg's lives like that. I want to stay here."

Cain nodded very slowly.

"Different now," he said.

Dean paused.

"What?"

"Different now," Cain repeated. "If…if the demon is still alive…then…it knows you were in Lawrence…"

" _What?_ Why? How?"

"Smell…sight…it knows…it will find…will find you."

Suddenly, Dean's heart was racing but with a different fear. His palms grew sweaty.

"No," Cain muttered. "No reason to be afraid."

"But…but what do I do? I thought I was getting away from all of that!"

Cain coughed again. He hacked something fierce and groaned.

"To the west," he said with a tired sigh. "To the west."

Cain said nothing more. Ever.


	27. Chapter 27

Dean walked out of Cain's house slowly. He now felt a heavy burden resting upon his shoulders, along with new questions he was afraid would never get answered. As soon as he came back out into the sun, Meg came up to him. There was a small group of people now gathered outside. He recognized them immediately as his pack.

"He's gone, isn't he?" Meg asked in a low voice.

"Yeah…"

"I'm not surprised. He said he had a feeling."

Dean touched Meg's arm.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Of course I am. But what about you? Are you going to claim leadership?"

"I don't know."

Before Dean could speak anymore, Rowena, one of Cain's mates, busted through the small group and got into his face. She was carrying a large basket that was gently placed on the floor. Her long hair was done up in a bun atop her head.

"Is it true?" she asked, her voice just as singsongy as ever. "Is he…dead?"

"Sorry."

"Ohh, aah! But then, Dean, are you…?"

Dean grimaced.

" _I don't know_ ," he said yet again.

Rowena tugged on his arm.

"Oh, _please,_ Dean. Please be our grand alpha. Please take us. We need someone…we're nothing without Cain…"

Abaddon came through the group now. Her eggs had hatched, apparently, since she held two tiny babies. Dean looked down and realized that the other two were inside Rowena's basket, sleeping peacefully. Abaddon looked flustered and a great hot mess. Dean felt bad.

"I, I don't know. Sorry!"

Dean stuttered at he stepped away from the growing chaos. He found Cas, who was talking to a very pregnant Charlie, and took him aside.

"What's going on?" asked Cas. "I need to talk to you."

"They want me to be the leader."

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

Dean let out a stiff breath of air.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do! Am I king or leader or what? I don't fucking know! I just want to be your mate. That's it. I never asked for any of this other shit. Cain says I'm supposed to go find Azazel but I just want to stay here."

Cas took Dean's hand within both of his. His eyes sparkled and he made a small smile. The arid plains that their new town had been built upon contrasted beautiful with his blue orbs.

"Dean, it's okay," he said rather calmly. "Charlie and I have been talking and we realized something. You _aren't_ king. You aren't Winchester lineage."

Dean's face turned white.

"Wha?"

"They said that the Winchesters only have one egg, right? Well, how many eggs did your last mate have?"

"That's right…she had three. She had three! Three little purple ones. There's…damn, okay, you're right."

"And Sam, the hunter in the forest, he had three, too. There's no way, then. There must be some confusion."

Dean chuckled softly. He could feel the pressure melting away. But then he remembered what Cain said.

"Hold on," he said. "Cain told me he knew my mother. He knew her name. He knew she was the queen…and he wants me to finish their business. If I'm not their lineage, then why would Cain say that? How would he even know?"

Cas frowned now and he shrugged weakly. Charlie, who had been silent this whole time, decided to put her opinion into it.

"Maybe Mary really did come, but her children died?" She suggested. "Is it possible that Cain lied because he wants Azazel killed, and he trusts you to do it?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Dean argued. "If Cain wanted me to do something, he wouldn't have to lie about it."

The three sighed and stayed silent for a moment. Just when everything was starting to get sorted out, it knotted up again. Rowena and Abaddon then came back to make matters worse.

"Dean?" Abaddon asked. "Have you decided?"

Dean growled.

"I don't know, okay?! It's getting crazier and crazier and I'm not gonna make any quick decisions!"

"But," Rowena added flirtatiously, "Don't you want _us?_ "

"No!"

Dean immediately grabbed Cas' arm.

"I only want Cas! He's my mate. My _only_ mate. Damn! You people are too much."

He pulled Cas away in a hurry. Cas grumbled.

"Be careful, Dean," he warned. "They've just lost their mate. Remember how you felt?"

"Aah, you're right," Dean sighed. "Good point. But still…pressuring me like that isn't gonna win points. Damn it."

Cas put his hand on Dean's chest and tried to relax him as best as he could. He gave him a tiny kiss and then gestured to the egg.

"Remember the most important thing," he said. "Let's relax. Charlie showed me the house they've prepared for us."

"Awesome."

Dean and Cas found their cart and hauled it to where they were going to live now. It was a nice, small house with a door and windows and two rooms. The neighbors were townspeople who were not related to Dean's pack. They seemed to be a quiet, industrious people, though they greeted the couple when they moved their supplies within.

"This is perfect," Cas said as he built up a nest. He lit an oil burning lamp that sat on a table next to him. "Why don't you sleep some? Perhaps it will clear your head."

"Yeah, maybe."

"We've been travelling so much."

Cas placed their egg in a basket that was left for them and wrapped it in the fairy dress. He then rested upon the nest and gestured for Dean to join him. Before he did, there was a knock at the door.

"It's just me," Meg called out.

"Come on," said Dean.

"Are they hassling you?"

The alpha female stepped within their house and looked at how worn out Dean appeared.

"Yeah. But it's okay."

"Any idea what you're going to do?"

Dean sighed. He sat down in the nest.

"None," he admitted, touching Cas' hand. "I'm doubting if I'm royalty, now. If I'm not, why should I risk my life to kill this Lord Azazel? Seems dumb, right?"

"Do you really think Cain would have lied to you?" Meg asked.

"I don't, but what else can I believe? Cas is right, I _have_ had three eggs before. It doesn't add up. Something is wrong here."

"Sorry."

Dean lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. He heard Meg walking closer, and then he sat up again and saw that she had her hand outstretched.

"Here," she said, offering him a small roll of herbs. "Maybe this will help? Just a little."

"Thanks."

"I'll see you later. Get me or Charlie if you're having problems, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks again."

Meg left and Dean turned to Cas with a weak smile.

"What is that?" the beta asked.

"Some love herb."

"OH…"

"Wanna smoke it? Maybe we can both feel better."

"Well," Cas mused, smirking, "I have been curious about it since you first mentioned it. It's not painful or dangerous, is it?"

"Cas, after you experience mating while high on this herb, you'll laugh at that question."

"Hmm. Okay, then. Let's try."

"There ya go!"

Dean leaned over to the oil lamp with the herb now between his lips and lit the tip. A stream of smoke whipped up from the end and he inhaled, coughing some since it had been so long. He sat up proper and took another long drag, then offered it to Cas.

"Here."

"What do I do?" Cas asked.

"Just suck on it gently."

"All right…"

The beta apprehensively took the roll and looked at it. A bright red ember sparkled on the end, sending out tendril after tendril of pale smoke.

"What does it taste like?"

"Grass, mostly," said Dean. "Dried leaves and some tea-But don't let it burn like that. Smoke, don't waste."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Cas hesitated slightly as he put the herb to his mouth. He took a short inhale and suddenly felt his throat fill with a herby smoke. It made him cough. He choked a little.

"Eugh…"

"No good?"

"I'm not sure…it's…different."

He gave the love herb back to Dean, who took another big hit off of it. He leaned back in the nest with a big grin on his face and let the smoke pour through his nose.

"Mmm…been so long…I missed this shit. How do you feel?"

Cas noticed a gradual increase in blood flow to his lower areas. This made him somewhat lightheaded, but it felt good. He looked over to Dean and saw that there was a great big boner growing beneath his clothes.

"Ooh," Cas gasped. He, too, had some changes in his genitals. "Let me try it again."

Dean offered the smoke to Cas again and he attempted a second puff. This time, it didn't make him cough as much. He tried to savor the flavor. Dean brought the herb to his own mouth again and grinned at Cas while he inhaled.

"Good, eh?"

"Oh, Dean, it makes me feel funny…very funny."

"Funny like that?"

"Funny like…like this."

Cas suddenly toppled Dean and straddle him, then he began to kiss and kiss his lips. He paused for a moment to take the love herb again and inhale deeply. Dean's cock was so hard, maybe even bigger than normal, and Cas could grind his ass right against it. He was moistening up nicely.

"Good shit, right?" Dean asked, his cheeks flushing red.

"Good shit," Cas agreed. His eyes narrowed lustfully as he kept kissing his mate.

Since the herb burned quickly, it was soon done, but the high that accompanied it was just starting. They both undressed while their hot kisses increased, their heads spinning and minds preoccupied with only one thought.

"Let me show you something," Dean said. "Turn the other way."

"What, like, this?"

Cas flipped around so that his ass was facing Dean, who immediately took his cheeks in his hands and started licking his hole.

"GAAAH! By Chuck!"

Cas screamed out at Dean's touch. It was so dirty! So forbidden!

"DEAN!"

His hole was delightfully sweet and moist, giving the perfect plate for Dean to eat off of. His tongue teased and tickled the ring of muscle, lapping up his love juices hungrily. Cas' face was bright red. He held onto Dean's thighs. If he hadn't been so high, this would be humiliating. Back when he was with his herd, tasting genitals was strictly banned, but now that he was experiencing it he wondered why anybody had decided that. Dean's cock was shining at him and he thought it might be nice to return the favor.

" _Shit_ ," Dean cursed in a sharp gasp when Cas touched his tongue to his cock.

Precum dribbled out and Cas lapped it up. He had no idea how delicious these fluids were. He wanted more. He _needed_ more. The high was beautiful and Dean's body was perfect. The pleasure was so deep and new, it touched him on a higher level. It felt like rainbows of light were radiating from his body and engulfing the entire room.

"Ohh, Deaaaan…"

Cas moaned deeply and rubbed his hips back towards Dean's face as he felt his climax overtake him. A squirt of juices hit Dean in the face and he just licked his lips and kept going. Normally, an orgasm was exhaust Cas, but with the love herb he felt he could have hundreds of them.

They sucked and slurped until they had both had two orgasms, then Dean decided it was time for the main course. He slip out from beneath Cas and mounted him from behind. Cas steadied himself on his hands and knees, eager for his mate's cock. Dean's arms wrapped around Cas' waist and he easily pushed himself inside.

"Dean!" Cas wailed. "Gaah, Deaaan!"

Those rainbows of light kept beaming, only stronger this time. They rippled from Cas' crotch and flooded his whole body. Dean's arms held him close and, it seemed, that perhaps Dean had light coming from him too that was touching Cas'.

"Aah, amazing," Dean grunted.

He humped Cas furiously, not unlike a dog on his bitch in heat. They moaned together, rubbing and grinding furiously. At one point, Dean yanked Cas up so that he was only standing on his knees, placing Dean's chest against the beta's back. Dean was able to run his hands all over him then.

"You're hard, too," Dean whispered, still humping.

His hands manipulated Cas' small cock, generally used only for waste fluids but the love herb had firmed it up. Cas blushed and whimpered when Dean touched it, but he soon let go and rubbed his palms up to his chest.

"I think you're gonna milk soon," the alpha said, running his fingers around Cas' slightly swollen nipples.

"The egg ought to hatch any day, right?"

"Mmm."

"It makes sense…"

"Yeah," Dean agreed. He slammed his hips into Cas a little harder now. "Ummmh…coming…"

A hot load filled Cas up and he, too, climaxed again. The session wasn't done yet, but after Dean had his fourth and final orgasm, he collapsed.

Gasping, elated, ecstatic and trembling with tantric pleasure, they fell down onto the nest and embraced.

"Goodness," Cas whispered. "That is an experience…"

"Told ya."

Dean yawned.

"Nap."

Cas nodded, stifling a yawn himself. He grabbed up their egg before they fell asleep. There was a little movement starting within the shell.


	28. Chapter 28

The love herb made their nap quite deep. Cas only woke up because Dean was snoring so loud. He grumbled to himself, sat up and held the egg. It was warm—warmer than it had been before. He touched it and sensed the baby shifting inside.

"Dean," Cas muttered, nudging his partner.

Dean opened his eyes slowly, snorted a few times and said, "Wuhh…yeahh?"

"Feel our egg."

Dean extended a sleepy arm and laid his palm over the shell. He, too, felt the warmth and movement.

"Think it's gonna hatch?"

"Probably not right now, but soon. Definitely."

Cas smirked and gave his mate a kiss. Dean hummed at the touched then yawned, sat up and stretched. The love herb had been smoked out of the house already and only a few clinging scents of Dean's musk remained. Cas got out of the nest and put some clothes on.

"How do you people take care of the dead?" he asked Dean.

"Pyre."

"All right. I suppose that's going to start soon."

"Yeah, and I gotta help with it."

Dean also got up and dressed. He let out a stiff sigh.

"What's wrong?" asked Cas.

"What's wrong? Everything."

"Oh, Dean, it's not that bad. You have me and our egg."

A thin smile and Dean nodded. "You're right," he agreed, but then the sadness overtook him once more. "I have you and the egg. That's more than a lot of us. But I also have decisions; do I find this Azazel guy? Do I become king? Am I rightfully the king or is this a misunderstanding? Would it matter? And…and…do I become the grand alpha of my pack?"

"I'm sorry, Dean, but I can't answer those questions for you." Cas touched Dean's arm and looked at him sympathetically. "You know that I find Lawrence to be safe and I wouldn't mind going back there, but you are my alpha and I will do as you say. I like this town, too, but I prefer the woods. I miss the Valley."

Dean closed his eyes for a moment and leaned into Cas' touch. He put a hand on the egg and pressed his lips together.

"How d'you think the Valley is right now?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the storm wrecked everything but it's been a little bit since that happened. Maybe people came back? Maybe it's livable?"

Cas cocked his head.

"Why do you ask this?"

"Maybe we should go back."

"But there's nothing there."

"We don't know that," Dean explained. A flicker of hope glistened in his eyes. "We don't know what happened to your herd. We don't know what my pack wants to do. If I'm the grand alpha, I can suggest we move back there. It's safer at least, yeah?"

"But what about Azazel and Lawrence?"

Dean frowned.

"I dunno," he said. "If I'm not really the king, then it wouldn't even bother us, I think. We can go back to the Valley and screw it all."

Cas wasn't sure how to respond to that. On one hand it sounded nice, but on the other, it seemed reckless.

"We'll take care of Cain and see," Dean added. "I'm sure the betas will be putting food together. Why don't you join them while the other alphas and I prepare the body?"

"Okay," Cas agreed softly. He kissed Dean on the lips before they went separate ways.

Charlie was due to lay her eggs at any moment. As she rushed about the place to get the funeral feast ready, Cas kept telling her to slow down and relax. Meg had caught a large buck and it was roasting over a fire, while Rowena and Jo were making dizzy-drinks. Abaddon was too busy with her babies to do much, and she was clearly grieving hard. Rowena, however, was fixated on Dean and didn't seem to care much about the last grand alpha's passing.

Once the food was ready, Meg, Dean and Cole announced that the pyre was going to start. They had taken Cain's body and rolled it up with customary blankets and herbs, then set it atop a large gathering of logs on the outskirts of the town. What Dean really didn't like about the place was how it had little resources—the townsfolk had bought that wood for travelers.

Cas didn't know how hunters took care of dead bodies up until then. Back when he lived with his herd, they would usually take it very deep into the woods and leave it for nature to take care of it. That reminded him of how Dean talked about the life cycle of things. He wondered why they burned Cain and how that played into it.

"Goodbye, dear alpha!" Meg cried out as they started the fire.

Abaddon was bawling on Rowena, whose eyes were fixed on Dean and not shedding a single tear. "Farewell, my Cain," the older redhead hummed. Abaddon was too sad to say anything.

"Be with the ancestors now," Cole said. He was standing beside Luci, who had apparently become his new mate. That was no surprise to Cas, since the last he saw them, Luci was taking care of Cole after Dean hurt him. Luci was almost as pregnant as Charlie.

The fire crackled and roared as it consumed Cain's body. Luckily the herbs they burned with it gave such a strong smell that you almost didn't notice the odor of melting flesh.

After a few more people from the town said their goodbyes, Dean's pack then burst into a slow, sad song. It was more of a chant or a hymn.

 _Oh, goes the wheel of life a' turning_

 _Casting shadow 'cross our great and mighty land_

 _Oh, is the flame of death a' burning_

 _Pluck'st the flower o' life right out of my old hand_

Cas watched the faces of the hunters as they sang. Abaddon was moving her lips but he couldn't confirm if she was actually singing or not. Tears ran down her smooth cheeks. She cradled two babies in her arms and touched her lips to the head of one.

The evening sun was casting shadows over the pyre. The flames licked up in red and gold tongues, matching the color of the sky. They continued to sing.

 _Oh, flows the endless stream of fate now_

 _Mercilessly taking all the ones we love_

 _Ah, if I held my heart against thou_

 _Would it change the course of every star above?_

Cas noticed now that Dean was not singing. His mind appeared occupied by other thoughts, which did not surprise him. As the group began their third verse, they were suddenly halted by loud squeaks.

"OH! OH! HOH!"

Everyone turned to the source of the noise and saw that it was Charlie, crouched to the ground and clutching her large stomach.

"She's laying eggs!" a voice among the group called out.

Meg darted to her side and held her up. "Help me get her to the house," she said.

Dean instantly appeared on her other side and hoisted up Charlie's other arm. The two of them gently carried her off towards their home. She was panting and gasping, holding her stomach and wincing in pain.

Cas went to follow but his attention was diverted by a lone figure that remained by the fire. Cain's body hadn't finished burning and was still a great blaze that sent dark billows of smoke high into the evening sky. There, with the fire glowing against her face, stood Abaddon. The children weren't with her, but instead her arms hung at her side and she wore a blank, stunned look. Cas approached her gently.

"Where are your babies?" he asked.

"Rowena," she answered in a weak monotone. Her lips remained open after she spoke.

Cas hesitated. "I'm sorry for you loss," he said.

"Thanks." She paused. "You know, I wouldn't mind if Dean claimed the title. And if he took us as his betas? That'd be all right by me."

"I know that Rowena likes him," Cas said, a little bitterly.

"Yeah," Abaddon sighed. Something was amiss in her expression.

"She doesn't seem terribly upset by Cain's…departure."

"No, she's not," the redhead replied quite calmly. "She never liked him much."

"Then why did she become his beta?"

"No choice," said Abaddon. She turned to look at Cas now, her icy blue eyes piercing him strangely. "The grand alpha does whatever he wants. If he says he is taking you to be his beta, then you are his beta."

"So the others," Cas began, "The ones that you lost…did they love Cain, or were they forced? And what about yourself?"

"They were forced. I wasn't. Cain loved me and I loved him. We were different than the rest. Had the others survived, I bet they would be dismissive as Rowena."

"Rowena wants Dean, doesn't she?"

"Not much gets passed you," Abaddon said, a smile finally showing on her face.

"I don't like the idea of Dean taking any other betas."

"I don't think he would. He already made that pretty clear."

"Yes, but…he's still so uncertain. About everything. I wouldn't be surprised if he changed his mind on his previous opinions."

"I don't know," Abaddon said. "Dean's always been straight forward. He's never walked back on things. Not on things that serious—when his heart is involved, his heart is involved."

"Do you think so?"

"By now, you ought to know him better than me, huh?"

"That's true." Cas smiled. "But, then, what happens if Dean declines?"

"Well," Abaddon said, her eyes flickering across the fire, "Cole is the next in line. It would fall to him. I think he would take it in a heartbeat."

"I agree," said Cas.

They stared in silence for many long moments. Cas felt bad for Abaddon. Here she was, having survived a storm that killed most of her people, moved several times, and when he finally found a safe place to stay and lay her eggs, her mate was taken from her. Now she had to raise those children with only the help of Rowena and whoever else in the pack would be willing to check in. That would have been Cas if he hadn't found Dean.

"I should see if Charlie had the eggs successfully," Cas said, breaking the silence at last. Abaddon acknowledged him with a soft hum and an even softer nod.

Cas bid farewell then went to Meg and Charlie's home, where the chaos had already died down and the fairy sat in the middle of a nest with three royal blue eggs nestled in her arms. Meg was proudly beside her.

"Oh, my!" Cas exclaimed when he saw the eggs.

Charlie looked exhausted but happy nonetheless. Dean and Cole stood by, while Luci knelt beside her with a towel and a bowel full of water.

"Not bad, huh?" Dean asked Cas when he came in. "Fairy eggs. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Well," said Charlie, "They aren't all fairy. Just have. All fairy eggs are much, much smaller."

"Really?" asked Cas.

"Yeah!"

Meg looked up at Dean and suggested, "Maybe we should leave the egg-bearers alone to talk, while we alphas step outside?"

"Uh, you sure about that?" asked Dean. "You are the father, after all."

"I know. We'll give them some space, let them talk…now that they have this in common!"

"Well, okay," said Dean. He then followed Meg and Cole out of the house.

It felt like night was falling faster. The land was already dark and stars were showing the sky above. Meg folded her arms, smiling, and looked up.

"You're next Cole, huh?" she said.

"Heh. Yep. Guess so. He's got a few more days at max, but those eggs are coming."

Meg turned to Dean now. "Yours too?"

"Yeah," he said. "When? I don't know. It's starting to move. Gotta be getting close."

"How exciting," Meg hummed. "You know, after all we've been through, here we are, all starting families and doing okay."

The two men nodded in agreement at Meg's statement. It was a comfort only to Cole, since Dean knew that the happiness could not remain a constant. There were too many decisions to be made. Too many changes that were likely to occur.

Without looking at Dean, Cole gave a sigh and said, "I'd better get back to Luci. Y'know, just in case."

"Makes sense," said Dean. "See you."

After he left, Dean and Meg were still standing around. Meg kept her head tilted to the sky. Dean joined her.

"What am I supposed to do?" Dean asked.

"About what?"

"Everything. What do I do?"

"Well, what do you _want_ to do?"

Dean took a deep breath.

"I want to be with Cas," he said. "I want everything to be all right. I want to have my kid. I want Cas to be happy and I want him to be safe. He _was_ happy and he _was_ safe in Lawrence."

"Then maybe you should go back there?" Meg asked.

"But if we go back, they'll make me their king—and I don't know if I really am!"

"Does it matter? They think you are."

"Ugh. But I don't want to be king!" Dean yelled.

"Why not?"

"I don't want people serving me! I don't want people who could be putting their hard work and efforts into something more meaningful than just…than just taking care of their king! I don't want that. I like to provide for myself. I like to hunt and work and farm and wash—on my own! Not with servants or whatever. It's…I don't deserve that."

Meg gave Dean a few moments to relax. His fists tightened but then he steadied himself a took a deep breath.

"What about being our grand alpha?" she suggested.

"That's not as bad, but I still don't want it."

"Why not? You were never opposed to it before Cain died."

"A lot of things were different in my life before Cain died—before I met Cas. I don't want anyone else now."

"Well…that's easy to solve. You don't have to have multiple betas, that's just a benefit that you _could_ reap."

"Yeah, well I don't want it. And I don't want the pack to turn to me."

Meg laughed. "You certainly don't want a lot of things."

"I know! I DON'T!" Dean yelled now. "I'm sick of this! I'm sick of finding out that the whole fucking land—Kaz, whatever the Hell it's called—is secretly waiting on me! Relying on me! Oh, the king, the leader! I'm sick of this! I wouldn't be surprised if this angel they're looking for also turns out to be me!"

"I don't think you're quite an angel," Meg mused with a small chuckle.

"Thanks, and I mean that."

"Well…there certainly are a lot of decisions to be made for you right now."

"I know. Tell me about it." Dean kicked at the ground. His rage died down. "I guess…my biggest concern is this Lord Azazel guy. If I'm king or he thinks I'm king, what's stopping him from finding me or killing me or Cas or whatever? Not to mention the people are Lawrence."

"I thought you didn't care about Lawrence?"

"I don't want to be Lawrence's king, that doesn't mean I can't be compassionate towards their people. Shit, if Lord Azazel turns up and slaughters those people—that blood is on my hands. I can't have that."

Meg hummed. "I think I understand you problem now."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Instead of doing what you want, or what _they_ want, maybe you should consider what the _right_ thing to do is?"

"That is what I'm thinking, I just dunno what it might be. Do you?"

"Dean, there are things I've learned in life so far—and I've had interesting things happen to me, not like you but still—I think there is always a right path. It might not be what you want, it might be. But what's the noble thing? What saves the most people? What's best? Anyway…think about that. I'm gonna go spend time with my eggs."

Meg patted Dean on the shoulder before returning inside the house. He saw the lamp within go out and decided it was time to get back to his home, too.


	29. Chapter 29

Dean's sleep was wracked with terror. He kept Cas up most of the night by his twitches and groans that came while he dreamed. When early morning arrived, the beta finally had to wake him up since he was clearly having a nightmare.

"Dean, Dean, enough of this," Cas whispered as he gently shook his mate.

Dean was sprawled out on one side of the nest, sweating as his lips quivered in an attempt to form words. Cas' movements woke him in an instant.

"GUAAH!"

He shot up, panting and gasping, clutching his chest. He turned to Cas and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did you dream of?" asked Cas.

"I don't know," Dean muttered, rubbing his eyes. "There were…there were _yellow eyes_ watching me. They followed me everywhere. It was…eugh…weird and terrifying."

"Oh, Dean."

Cas put his arms around him and they embraced tightly. Dean yawned.

"I'm sorry," Cas mumbled against Dean's neck.

"S'all right," said Dean. "It was just a bad dream. It's over now…thanks for being there."

"Of course. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little bit. The egg hasn't hatched yet, has it?"

Cas chuckled. "I'll wake you the instant it happens if you're sleeping, and you can count on that."

"Hah. Cool."

Cas gave Dean a weak smile and kissed him before he released the hug. He had a bowl of seeds and grains that he offered to Dean for breakfast.

"Is this it?" Dean asked, looking into the bowl. "No fruit or anything?"

"Resources are limited in this town," Cas said rather sadly.

"Don't we have a garden plot outback?"

"Yes, but—whoever started it before we moved in didn't do a good job. The soil lacks fertility, which is critical out here…I miss the woods."

"Yeah, I know, tell me about it."

Dean put a handful of seeds in his mouth and crunched. Cas peered over at him.

"Didn't you pack begin in plains like this?"

"Pastures, technically," said Dean, his mouth full. "Pretty much the same thing. But we got a lot of rain and there were streams that ran all through the place. And you know how it is around water, always plants growing. Most importantly, there was a ton of game to hunt. I don't think there's much out here."

"I agree."

Dean laughed. "Can't believe I complained about fruit."

"Why?"

"Back in the pastures, I hardly ever touched the stuff!"

"Our eating habits have blended," Cas said with a tender smile.

"They sure have."

"I don't know."

"Neither do I! But you're right; I dunno how this town gets by with so little. I have a hard time believing this is where Cain wanted us the stay."

"Yes, I understand what you mean. It is strange…yet, what are we to do? Until you decide which path to take, there's no point in moving."

"Right," Dean sighed, remembering the pressure that sat upon him. Cas touched his arm.

"What if we go down to the water and bathe together?" the beta suggested. "It might make you feel better."

"Worth a shot," said Dean.

He got up and dressed, then they put together some supplies and left together.

"I'll leave the egg with Charlie," said Cas.

They went to the fairy's place where they found Meg and Charlie to be up and busy with meal preparation already. Meg was skinning and salting a rabbit with Charlie sat with her eggs in a basket. She was weaving some kind of clothing.

"Hey, Cas!" the fairy exclaimed when the couple entered.

"Good morning," said Cas. "Dean and I are going to bathe together. Could I ask you to watch our egg?"

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Charlie agreed. "You want to put it right here with mine?"

"Yes, that makes sense."

Cas nestled his egg down between Charlie's three. It looked so much different in comparison. Charlie's were all one shade of deep blue, while Cas' was that piercing, pearly cyan with the weird ring of emerald on the bottom. As he thought about it, he had never seen any eggs that had such varying designs and colors on them.

"You all right, Cas?" Charlie asked.

"Oh-" He startled in the middle of his staring. "Yes. We'll be back soon. Keep an eye on it in case it starts to hatch. I expect it to happen any day now."

"Sure! I'll get you if it seems like it."

Cas waved slightly and went to join Dean once more. They walked through the town together until they found a small, wooden building. It had been built up around a natural spring, and the only source of water for the entire village. Several hand-pumps sat outside but within the walls was an open basin in which the spring flowed, not until the spring in Lawrence only much smaller and lacking the fissure made by an angel. It was similar to a sluice.

Luckily, it was empty. Oh sure, some folks came to get water at the pumps but the enclosed space for intimate bathing was clear. Dean and Cas went inside, undressed completely and stepped down into the water.

"Ahh, that's nice," Dean sighed, dipping all the way down so that his butt rested on the silt at the bottom and the water went to his jaw. Cas sat slightly higher up on a rock that gave him a vantage point over his mate. He shuffled behind him so that his knees were on either side of Dean's head, then took up a soft bar of oily soap and rubbed it between his hands.

"I'll clean you," Cas said.

Dean nodded in agreement, eyes closed, and Cas began to lather the grease through his hair. Dean sighed and purred at the touch.

"That's good," he cooed. "Could you shave me?"

"Of course."

Cas' hands moved down to Dean's jaw and lathered up the facial hair he had been growing out. He used a razor they brought along to clear it all away. Dean tried to relax his face and not smile so as to give Cas an ease of shaving.

Now that his face was clean and smooth, Cas rubbed his soapy hands down to Dean's neck and shoulders. He had to sit up so that he could get clean all of the way.

"Here, too," Cas said with a tiny chuckle. His hands made it down to Dean's waist. "Stand out of the water, if you can."

"Eugh, but I'm so relaxed…"

"Don't you want everything to be clean?"

Dean groaned. "Right, right, okay."

He stood up out of the water and got to the shallowed side, putting his crotch at level with Cas' face. The beta soaped his hands again and ran his fingers through Dean's pubic hair. He wrapped his fist around his cock and pulled down the foreskin.

"Nice," Dean gasped, eyes fixed on Cas.

"I'm just cleaning, this isn't any kind of mating thing," Cas said.

"I know, but still."

Dean couldn't help but grow firm at Cas' touch. His fingers were greasy and smooth, working a gentle motion to clean him up and Dean let out a groan.

"All right, I'm done," said Cas, much to Dean's disappointment. "Can you clean me, now?"

"Yeah."

They got back into the water and Dean now soaped up his own hands. He washed up Cas' body, trimmed his hair and then they rinsed off and were to continue with their day. Dried and dressed, they went to get the egg back.

Meg had announcement when they returned.

"Cain's things," she said, "They're in his house. I think it makes the most sense if _you_ took them. Or, at least, looked them over and decide where they should go.'

"Yeah, okay," Dean agreed, pressing his lips together. He pointed a finger to the alpha female. "But this doesn't mean I'm grand leader."

"Oh, no, I know that. It just makes sense. Come on."

Meg left the house and motioned for Dean to follow, which he did. Charlie, now alone with Cas, gave a little shrug and pointed to the basket. "I guess you want this back now, right?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"They've been safe."

"We really needed that time together without worrying about the egg."

"I get it," said Charlie. "It's only been a day for me, but I get it! It's different."

"Very."

Cas carefully took his light blue egg from the basket and strapped it back into his pouch, securing it against his body. It moved slightly on the inside.

"I suppose I'll take it back home now," he said. "I will see you later."

"Bye!" said the fairy.

The beta male left the house with a smile on his face, happy to be back with his egg. It was nice to have time apart, but nothing made him feel safer than having it near him.

As he walked home, he noticed that the remains of Cain's funeral pyre were still sitting on the outskirts of the town. He caught a glimpse between two houses and stopped when he saw a flame-red mass resting atop it. Curious, he came closer, only to find that the color was in fact Abaddon's hair. She was laying over the ashes in a huddle, sobbing.

"Abaddon," Cas said softly, approaching, "Where are your babies?"

"Rowena," she sniffed, then picked up her head and glared up at him. Her face was covered in the human ashes, mixing with her tears and giving a terribly unpleasant appearance.

Cas nearly startled. He wanted to say something but was afraid it would come across the wrong way. "This isn't healthy" or "you need to be with your children" could turn a sad Abaddon into an angry one.

"Your face is dirty," Cas decided to say. "Would you like me to help clean you?"

" _No_ ," she stated firmly, then flung herself face down into the ash once more and continued to cry.

Cas wished he could help, but realized it probably wasn't worth it. She would likely come around in time. She had to mourn and get through it on her own. Cas' main concern was the welfare of her babies but even then, it wasn't that much of his business.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "If you need anything, just—"

" _SON OF A BITCH!_ "

Dean's shouting in the distance stopped Cas completely. Abaddon ignored it, but Cas ran off into the direction it came from.

"I DON'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!"

Cole's body came bursting through the door to his house. He slid across the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust as he collapsed. Attempting to stand, he coughed, then looked up and saw Dean stepping through the broken door.

"Dean!" Cas called out. "What are you doing?!" He went to pursue his mate, but a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Stop," said a woman. Cas turned and saw that it was Jo, the blonde beta female that belonged to the pack of the pastures but he didn't know very well.

"What's happened?" Cas asked, his heart racing.

"Luci had Cole's eggs, but they're the same color as the first clutch Dean had," Jo explained, frowning sadly at Cas.

"What? What does that mean?"

He looked back at the alpha males. Cole held his hands up in the air as a surrender, but Dean had rage in his eyes that didn't seem to be fading away any time soon.

"You bred my fucking mate," Dean growled. "How could you do that? You…this whole fucking time…you bred her!"

"You don't understand!" Cole coughed.

"The Hell I don't!"

Dean tackled him now, pushing them both onto the floor. Cas let out a cry as he watched, but Jo still held him back.

"You need to let the alphas sort things out," she said.

"But Dean could…"

"YOU SICK PIECE OF SHIT!"

Dean let out a roar as he grabbed Cole's head and slammed it back into the dirt. He pinned him down and started punching him. Cole was at Dean's mercy. He tried and tried to fight back but Dean overpowered him.

"You—rggg—don't understand!" Cole gasped, his nose and mouth filling with blood.

Cas watched the fight with great fear. Others were gathering now, holding their hands over their mouths or eyes, but nobody attempted to break them up. Cas thought about Luci—he just had a clutch but nobody was there to be with him. Carefully, Cas snuck around to the side of the house and stepped through the broken door. Not surprisingly, Luci sat in his nest with an armful of eggs and eyes full of tears.

"What happened?" Cas asked.

"It's not my fault," Luci sobbed. "They're purple. I di-in't mean to have purple eggs…Dean saw and he started attacking Cole…what's a beta to do?"

"We're supposed to let them 'work things out'," Cas said with a frown. He sat next to Luci and tried his best to ignore the cries and wails of Cole outside.

"Dean's pissed," Luci whined.

There was a shift in the noises outside. Both of the men groaned in pain and then a great shoving sound was heard. Cas looked up. He heard Dean scream and he immediately ran back out of the house. "Sorry!" he called to Luci as he left.

"FUCK YOU!" Cole yelled. He had somehow managed to topple Dean and was now leading the fight. He delivered a hard punch to Dean's lip and Cas screamed. "WHY WON'T YA LISTEN TO ME?!"

"Why would I listen to—URRRGH—you?! You bred my—ARGH—old mate!"

Cole punched Dean again and this time, Cas couldn't take it. He didn't care what the law of hunters said or what they were supposed to do, he had to stop it. Without thinking, he jumped into the brawl and tried to pry Cole off of Dean.

"STOP IT!" Cole shouted.

He turned around to push Cas away, but this gave Dean the upper hand again. While Cole was distracted, Dean lunged forward and tried to knock him over, but Cole had a second to realize this beforehand. He dodged out of the way and Dean hit Cas instead.

There was a crack.

The fight stopped.

Dean stared.

"Dean, how _could_ you?!" Charlie's bloodcurdling cry sounded from somewhere around them.

"I…"

Cole managed to slip out from the fight and back away. He darted into his house and out of sight, but the crowd that had been watching them remained.

"What happened?" someone asked.

"Did Dean hit his mate?" another followed.

"No, he hit his own egg," one answered. There was a hushed gasp.

Cas slowly pulled the egg from its bag. There was a crack along the top. People in the crowd were whispering to each other, looking at Dean with great shame. Dean was beside himself. Blood trickled from his nose and contrasted sharply with his now intensely pale face. He trembled.

"He didn't," said Cas. The crowd held their breath. "If Dean hit the egg, he would have hit the front. This crack is on the top. This is…"

Cas looked at the egg closer. A little baby finger poked out of the hole.

"It's not broken," Dean said, finally, getting to his feet. He came to Cas' side and put his hands out towards the egg. "It's hatching!"


	30. Chapter 30

Cas rushed the egg back into their house. He sat down into the nest with it and Dean joined him. A few people, Charlie included, joined them, watching expectantly.

"Help it," Jo said.

Cas nodded and began to peel down the shell as the little fist attempted to do so. Bit by bit did it fall away, slowly revealing a little baby.

"Goodness," Cas said in a soft voice.

Shell fragments littered his lap. Dean put his arm around his shoulders and they huddled close. The baby curled up with ease in Cas' lap, tensing its fists but staying silent. Cas separated the legs to see a penis and testicles. "An alpha male," he said with great relief. He looked at Dean, nearly crying, and repeated "An alpha male!"

The couple kissed briefly. Charlie said something congratulatory. Seeing the baby's lips wobble, Cas thought he would pick him up and offer a drink at his small breast, but when he turned the infant over, something startled him.

"What is that?!"

At the baby's shoulder blades sat two folded appendages. They had points sticking out from them. Cas looked at Dean but they were speechless.

"A defect?" someone watching asked.

"No!" Charlie's voice broke the tension. She ran up to the nest and sat down, keeping her own eggs safe in the basket. "Those are _wings!_ Like a bird!"

Cas gasped softly. "Or an angel," he muttered.

Dean groaned, "No! It can't be! Tell me it ain't so!"

"Do you realize what this means?" Charlie asked the couple, her eyes wide. He looked down at the infant, who was now latching onto Cas' nipple with ease, and smiled.

"It means everything in the whole fucking world is dependent on me or my family!" Dean shouted. He put his hand over his face.

"No, no," Charlie said, trying to calm Dean down. "It means good things. A new era of peace. This is the first sign, don't you know?"

Dean and Cas shook their heads.

"King Ash always said that the troubles of our land would be over when the angel returned."

"Wait," Dean said, "King Ash knew about the freakin' angel?"

"Apprently."

Dean turned to Cas. "Did you talk to him about it?"

"No, why would I? I had no idea that the angel was in this egg."

Cas smoothed his hand over the back of the baby's head, touching the soft hair growing there. He held him close and kissed his forehead. Dean, though tense, leaned into them.

"What else did your king say about it?" asked the alpha.

"That's all I know," said Charlie. "He'd mention it from time to time."

The baby stopped suckling and Cas held him in his arms. He covered his chest and smiled weakly. "Is the world in such a state that we need a new era of peace?"

"With this Azazel guy," Dean began, "It sounds like there's more trouble than we know about."

He paused here. The angel was back. Azazel was likely still alive. Dean had to make his decision quickly.

"I bet the fairy king knows more about this than he told his people," Dean continued. "I think I'm going to go find him."

"What?" Cas looked at his mate sharply. "Dean, please. Don't go anywhere. We just had our baby…"

"I'm gonna have to take some kind of action eventually, why not now?"

 _"Dean_ ," Cas moaned. "Must you?"

The observers were filing out of the house now, though Charlie remained. She lightly touched the baby's wings as the couple kept speaking.

"I know we've been through a lot," said Dean, "And I know it's been hard on you. Traveling is difficult and uncertainly really sucks. This time spent on the road has brought way more truths out than I'd like to know, but…now that the angel is here, now that my mate and I have put our bodies together and created the 'sign of peace', I think it's time to do something. This is undeniable proof that fate is on our shoulders."

Cas frowned. He looked at Charlie, who nodded. "I'll take you to Arkhmoor," said Charlie.

"Where?" asked Dean.

"The forest I'm from. It's called Arkhmoor. I'll take you there."

"With your eggs?" Cas interjected, looking worried. "What will Meg think?"

"I'll ask her, hold on."

The fairy quickly stood up and zoomed out of the house, leaving Dean and Cas alone with the baby. He was already asleep. Dean stared at the wall.

"Darling," Cas whispered, "Are you sure this is right? You've made your decision in but a few seconds."

"I know. Cas, I've been thinking about this constantly. I've been on the brink of making a decision all day. This baby changes everything…let me hold him."

Cas gently handed the child over to Dean, who held him with great ease. He rocked them baby and kissed his forehead.

"What do we name him?" Cas asked.

"No idea."

"What names do you like?"

"I don't know."

"Then he'll be the baby for a while until we decide. Is that all right?"

"Sure."

Dean smiled down at his son and cuddled with him. Cas had never seen that look on Dean's face before—he was happy, proud, at ease…it was a shame to think that everything was about to be flipped upside down. Again.

"Meg's coming with us."

Charlie returned with her alpha. They had already packed. Cas was surprised.

"You're leaving now?!"

"Yeah. Right, Dean?"

Dean gave the baby back to Cas and stood up. "Right," he said. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"No!" Cas yelped. "If you three are going, so am I!"

"Are you sure?" Meg asked, hands on her hips. "Carrying a baby is quite different than carrying an egg."

"I don't care. We're going to see the fairies, who know and love me. My baby will be safe in my arms. And besides, since we travel with the intent of discussing the child, shouldn't he be present?"

Charlie, Dean and Meg all looked at each other and nodded. Cas made a good point. They immediately started to pack and got a proper wagon ready for the journey. Before leaving, however, they both had unfinished business to attend to.

Dean came to Cole and Luci's house. The door was still busted out from him so he just stepped inside. Luci gave a shout when he saw Dean and clutched his eggs close to his chest.

"No!" he cried.

"It's okay," Dean said, trying to remain calm.

Cole was standing in the corner with some sort of small animal he had caught. He dropped the carcass on the table and approached Dean. "Why're you here?" he asked.

"You said I didn't understand," Dean began, sucking his teeth, "Why don't I understand?"

"Oh, so you kick the shit out of me, almost kill your own kid and then come back to apologize?"

"I'm not apologizing. I'm asking. What don't I understand?"

"Sit."

Cole pointed to a few stools on the ground, one of which Dean squat down onto. Cole joined him.

"I never wanted to breed your old mate," the smaller alpha said with a stiff sigh. The truth hurt. "It was her."

"Bullshit."

"I swear!" Cole barked. "She followed me on a hunt! Naked! You know how it is when you hunt! Imagine you've got this perfect kill lined up, hormones are raging, smells driving you wild, when out of nowhere—BOOM! This steaming pussy is sitting there, begging for you."

Dean's upper lip twitched. It didn't matter that she was dead, she had once been his mate. The thought of another talking about her like that made him sick. Cole's voice did not sound untrustworthy. Dean knew him well enough to tell.

"You fucked her," Dean growled.

"I'm sorry, but I did. I barely had any control. I…"

"What."

"I bred her a few times in a row, actually," Cole admitted with some shame. "She wanted it! I couldn't come down off of my high!"

Dean snorted and his lip twitched, but he forced himself to look at Cole. His face was badly bruised by Dean's earlier damage, but his eyes showed sincerity. Dean thought about what Meg said—what was the _right_ thing to do?"

"Well," Dean began, forcing himself to smile, "I guess…it doesn't matter now. She's gone and the eggs are gone. I've got a new mate, a better one…a faithful one…and, I uh, well, here I _am_ apologizing."

"S'okay, Dean. You're a good guy. I don't blame you."

Dean looked over at Luci and the eggs. A knot twisted in his stomach when he saw the color that reminded him of his old mate. He saw images of the first clutch being destroyed in the storm.

"You going somewhere?" Cole asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you going somewhere? You're acting like this is a goodbye or something."

"Yeah," Dean said, acting a little hazy. "I'm going to the forest. Gonna find some answers. Maybe I'll be back. I dunno." He stood up now and offered a hand to Cole, who shook it. "You're a good guy."

"Thanks, Dean. You, too."

"If I'm still not back by autumn, you can be the grand alpha."

Cole gasped softly, as did Luci. "You mean that?" he asked with surprise.

"Yeah," said Dean. He smirked. "Even if I come back before then, I might not want it. See you."

He left without saying anything else. There was something else he had to do before he left, and that involved Cain's old house. He told nobody about the objects he saw or took, but carefully put a few into a bag, wrapped them well and stuck them within the wagon with his other supplies.

Cas had gone to visit with Abaddon again and found her with her children finally. She was still upset and looking distracted as the babies sat in her lap. Rowena was nowhere to be seen.

"Abaddon," said Cas, approaching her carefully, "Dean, Meg, Charlie and I are going to leave. Will you be all right?"

"Yeah…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…"

"Time will heal your pain," Cas said. "Things will be different eventually. Once we return, I'm sure you will have new opinions."

"Sure…"

Cas sighed. There was little he could do. He said his goodbyes and joined the group at the wagon. Dean took the reins and they were off, leaving the town behind. Though it lacked resources and it barely felt like home, Cas felt discouraged to leave it behind. How many times would they have to move before they truly settled down?


	31. Chapter 31

Cas pondered many things while a wagon, once more, carried him away from the place he might have called home. Of all the settlements that he had left, this was, thankfully, the least desirable of them. As he had told and agreed with Dean many times, it lacked in resources. That was a problem, particularly for someone has busy with materials and cooking as Cas. Now that they had their baby, he was ready to settle down permanently as a mother.

Oddly enough, what bothered him more than leaving was the idea that they would likely return. That town just wasn't where he wanted to live. And yet, the presence of Dean's remaining pack made him feel sad to walk away. Could there possibly be a compromise hiding in between?

The journey towards Arkhmoor was a mellow one, at least. The wagon, led by Ammy and Meg's horse, Clarence, easily tread over the grassy prairies and towards the woods. It would take two days according to Charlie. That was how she and Meg had come so they knew well. That being said, they stopped halfway through as night was falling to stop and set up camp. Dean picked a place that had enough fresh grass for the horses to graze to their hearts' content.

After a small yet nourishing meal of nuts and vegetables, Charlie and Meg retired to the wagon for the night, while Dean and Cas remained around the fire with their baby. It was a cool evening and pleasant to spend outside in.

Cas gave the baby a meal then set him into a bed basket to sleep. He rocked it gently with his foot and lay back into Dean's arms. His eyes closed but only momentarily, as a strong smell made him peer upwards at Dean.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Dean had a wooden pipe in his mouth. "Cain's," the alpha said, holding the pipe between his teeth and unintentionally smiling because of it, "I got it from his stash."

"Tobacco?"

"Yeah." He puffed and inhaled deeply. "Smooth stuff, too. Not bad."

"Do you miss him?"

"Kinda. He was a good guy. We could always count on him for the best advice. It sucks that the one time I _really_ need help, he isn't around to give it."

Dean looked at the fire with a sad frown.

"It seems to be a pattern in life," Cas whispered. He reached up and touched Dean's chin. "We'll figure it out."

"Yeah, we will. You're good luck for me," Dean said with a chuckle, looking down at Cas.

"Am I? Or are you good luck for me?"

"Maybe both."

He nursed the pipe a while longer then let it burn out and put it away. Cas sat up into Dean's lap and they held each other for several peaceful moments. The baby was asleep and he stopped rocking the basket.

"I love him already," Dean whispered into Cas' ear.

"The baby?"

"Yeah, the baby. Our baby. I love him already."

"Me, too," said Cas. He smiled fondly and laced the fingers from both his hands with Dean. They squeezed together. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Cas."

Shortly thereafter they made up a nest and got some sleep. Unfortunately for Dean, this didn't go as well as he had hoped. Those yellow eyes watched him again, all night, making him jump awake from time to time—his heart racing and his head pounding. He awoke for the last time just before sunup. Without bothering his mate or his baby, he went into the supplies and drank some fresh water they had packed. His throat was so dry. His whole body ached. What were those yellow eyes?! It didn't take much thinking for the thought to occur to Dean that they might belong to Azazel.

"But why now?" Charlie asked, once everybody was up and Dean decided to divulge his issues to them. "I mean, if you're the guy he's supposed to get, why are you just being tracked by him now?"

"Because he didn't know where I was until I made myself known in Lawrence," Dean grunted.

Cas had stepped away from the group with the baby on his hip to scout the surroundings for food. He found a large patch of strawberries. After gathering a healthy bounty, he returned to the group with a proud smirk.

"Oo, sweet red ones!" Dean exclaimed upon seeing the fruit.

Meg looked at him sideways. "Really?"

"What?"

"So now you're a fruit eater?"

"I've always been a fruit eater. And so have you."

"Mm, but not this much. Back when we were all together you had, maybe, the little blue tart ones. But only when the rest of us did. I remember you turning down sweet red ones."

"Yeah, well it's different now," Dean said, taking a bite of a berry. "I don't have the time or energy to hunt. And who knows what's out here. And you gotta admit, they're pretty good!"

Meg hummed in the back of her throat and Charlie laughed. Cas squat down to put the baby in his little basket so he could join them in the meal, but he stopped and made a strange, uncomfortable face.

"Cas?" Dean asked, noticing this right away. "What's wrong?"

"I…"

Cas put the baby down, tucked him in and touched his stomach.

"Cas?!"

This got the attention of Charlie and Meg, too. They came to his side.

"What's wrong?" asked the fairy.

" _Cas?!_ " Dean persisted, touching Cas' arm. "What is it?!"

"I think I'm with an egg again."

"WHAT?!"

"Dean!" Cas stared at Dean with his eyes wide open. He looked shocked. "The love herb! When we smoked the love herb, you bred me!"

"Y-yeah, but—" Dean wet his lips. "Aren't you getting too old to be fertile?"

Charlie made a squeak. Cas kept feeling his stomach.

"No, Dean, the spots! The fairy magic! Don't you remember? I'm fertile for several more years!"

"Shit. Okay. Okay. This is okay. It's just one more kid. The first one is great. One more is, is…easy."

"Very," said Meg.

"You think this one is gonna be an angel, too?" Dean asked, still staring at Cas.

"I dunno," said Charlie. "We'll ask King Ash. We'll ask him everything."

"Hopefully he can shine some light on this," Meg added and everyone agreed. Cas was happy.

This added extra enthusiasm to continue on their way towards Arkhmoor. They hustled together and got the campsite cleaned up and were back on the unseen path in no time, traveling at a steady rate.

Dean was temporarily distracted from his dreams and visions by Cas' announcement. As difficult as life was right now, and as unexpected and shocking the unseen pregnancy had snuck up on them, the more he thought about having a second kid, the happier he got.

"Maybe it'll be a girl," he told Meg. All of the anxiety he had shown at first had washed away entirely. "We'll have a boy and a girl. Sounds pretty perfect to me."

"Mmhmm," Meg hummed.

"Boy and a girl. Or two boys. That's good, too. What d'you think you'll get?"

"I don't know. It will be whatever it will be." Meg twisted the reins between her two hands. "I'd like two girls and a boy."

As they rode on through the day, the forest became visible over the horizon. It slowly grew closer and closer, expanding as it came into view.

"Arkhmoor!" Charlie shouting, once they neared entering it. The horses were stepping into the bumpy, mossy terrain. "I missed you!"

The wagon rattled over the constant tree roots, which the baby was not a big fan of. Cas tried distracting him with a meal but it didn't go over too well. He was fussy quiet and consistently.

"So where are the fairies?" asked Dean.

"Oh, right!" Charlie gasped. "You won't be able to see them! I mean, we aren't there yet, but when he get there you won't be able to see them."

"Why not?!"

"You need the fairy touch!"

"The fa—wh—the fairy what?!"

"The fairy touch," Meg interjected. "At least _you'll_ get a say in it."

Charlie laughed sheepishly, remembering how she had surprised Meg with an invisible kiss. It seemed like that happened years ago. So much had happened to everyone in so little time.

They explained to Dean what the fairy touch was and what it involved. As the forest grew deeper and denser, the glowing flowers showing up, they stopped the wagon and got out.

"You don't mind, do you, Meg?" Dean asked.

"What other choice do we have?" she retorted. "And besides, I know it doesn't mean anything."

"Okay, good." Dean hesitated. He kicked at the ground and stepped closer to Charlie, then cleared his throat.

Cas noticed a couple flutters of colorful wings buzzing by here and there to check them out. "We're ready, then," he noted. Some whispers echoed through the wood.

"Soooo uh," Dean started, "How do we go about this?"

He went to put his arms around Charlie, but the fairy laughed. "It's not that big of a deal!" she said, blushing behind her blue freckles. She quickly leaned forward and put a soft kiss onto Dean's lips. They held it for a moment. Maybe a few more than they should have.

"RIGHT."

Dean stepped away, his face quite hot now. He would have been more embarrassed, but the dizziness of the fairy touch suddenly engulfed him. Cas and Meg both knew what was coming and it was quite humorous to see Dean go through with it. He startled and almost fell over.

"The Hell? Is this supposed to happen?!"

"Yes," Cas said, chuckling. "It won't last long, my dear."

Just as Cas explained, the dizziness stopped soon. He had to rub his eyes when he saw the rainbows of wings in the trees.

"Charlie has returned!" a little voice yelled.

"And—And Castiel! The honorary fairy!"

Suddenly, a flood of fairies poured down into the forest, jumping and cheering at the site of the beta.

"HONORARY FAIRY! HONORARY FAIRY!"

The forest was full of sound now. Dean was somewhat alarmed but the others laughed and went along with it.

"HONORARY FAIRY! HONORAR—hey!" A stocky, older fairy stopped shouting and pointed at Cas. He recognized him at once as the fairy who gave him the generous offering of gold. "The egg's hatched! The miracle egg has hatched!"

"Yes," Cas said, bowing. "This is my baby, and…and this is my mate!"

"Your _mate?_ " asked the messy older fairy. "The one that you were searching for?"

"Indeed."

"He found him!"

The fairies cheered once more.

"Okay, okay!" Dean said, wincing. They were putting flower wreaths on his head now.

"We'll make _him_ an honorary fairy now, too!" someone yelled.

"HONORARY FAIRY! HONORARY FAIRY!"

A couple went around Meg and put lilies in her hair, and also kissed her face. "Nice to see you, too," Meg muttered to some in a soft, peasant voice.

"HEY!"

A loud voice broke up the excitement. The crowd of fairies parted and there came a tall man with long hair, towering over the fairies. He smiled at Cas.

"Sam," said the beta, warmly.

"Hey, Cas," said Sam. He was holding one of his boys. "Sorry about those guys. You know how they are. It's good to see you! Glad to see your egg made it, and your mate, too." He walked up the Dean and nodded. "I'm Sam. I came from a—"

"Hunter family," Dean finished his sentence for him. "That's kind of a reason why we're here."

"What?" Sam asked, blinking. He scrunched up his forehead. "About me?"

"Is there any chance we could talk to your king?" Cas asked.

"Not my king," Sam laughed. He looked back and spotted his wife, Ruby, with the other two children tailing behind her fuchsia wings. "Babe? They want to talk with Ash."

"I'll go ask," said Ruby. She gave a soft nod and disappeared once more.

The fairies were all examining Cas and Dean and the baby.

"Why, he has wings!" and older female fairy said, pointing to the appendages folded on the baby's back. "But, those aren't fairy wings. They're like a bird." She narrowed her eyes at Cas beneath a mess of blonde curls. "You aren't a bird…are you?"

"No. We think this is the angel."

"Angel? What angel?"

"It was something King Ash talked about a long time ago," Charlie interjected, taking the older fairy aside. "I guess you never heard about that."

"Nnno," the fairy said, wondering. She looked to the others around her. "Did we all know about the angel?"

The fairies were perplexed. They whispered to each other and most of them shrugged. It would seem Charlie was the only one who picked up on that.

As chattering about the angel began to go around, Ruby returned. She waved to Cas. "Follow me," she said. "He really wants to talk to you."

"Great!" said Dean. He clapped Cas on the shoulder. "Let's go."

"Um, so, Dean," Cas began weakly as they followed Ruby, leaving Meg and Charlie with the company of the other fairies, "I know the idea that you have of kings and queens from our time in Lawrence, but the fairy king is…completely different."

"What, he's not mean or anything, is he?"

"Oh, no, no, no, he's not mean at all. In fact, he's—"

"Caaa-aaas!"

They had already walked into the glade where the throne sat when King Ash sang out to them. He was adorn with the usual flowers, fruits, seeds and furs. Of course, butterflies and bees buzzed around him in careful circles. Dean raised an eyebrow. The king extended his arms to the beta, but his arms fell to the baby and widened.

"No way!" he gasped. "I knew it! I knew the miracle egg had to angel in it! Well, man, I'm very pleased to-WOOOOOOOOOOO! The angel! Hoho!"

Ash seemed unable to contain himself. The bugs twittering around him sped up and he did a jig, flapping his wings erratically. Dean looked at Cas and grimaced.

"Wow," he whispered.

"THE ANGEL IS BAAA-AAAAAACK!" King Ash hollered.

Fairies came into the glad and started dancing with him. In no time, a band popped up and they were playing music. This was quite reminiscent of the night Cas had spent there before.

"Woah, woah," Dean said. "Hold on. Before this gets out on control, we gotta ask you about this."

"Uh, yeah?"

"The angel. What's this mean? How did you know about it? The fairies we talked to a few minutes ago had no idea about it. Why are they so excited now?"

"They just get excited when I yell," Ash snorted, grinning.

"Great," Dean sighed. "But we really need to talk. We came here just to do that."

"Ah! Yeah! Serious!"

"Huh?" Dean folded his arms and the fairy king laughed.

"You want to talk serious, man?"

"I do, actually. Thanks."

"Okay." Ash cleared his throat. "This, my friend, is a bad place to talk seriously. We fairy-folk SUCK at being serious, but I'll do my best. They're gonna party for a while. Once it dies down, come back here and eerrr…go behind that tree. See? Behind my throne? I'll meetcha there to talk serious. Don't bring other fairies!"

"Sure," said Dean.

"Aaaaaall righty!"

Ash waved his arms up into the air and walked off, disappearing into the crowd. Dean turned to Cas and they exchanged smiles. All they had to do was survive the party, and hopefully some questions would get answered.


	32. Chapter 32

"Welp, might as well enjoy the evening while we're here, eh?" Dean nudged Cas while giving him a cheeky grin, waggling his eyebrows. Cas chuckled softly.

"Yes. Why not?"

The fairy party was rapidly growing in rowdiness and had already grown quite loud. Cas had an idea of what to expect.

"This is exactly what they did last time I was here," he said. "It doesn't take much for them to get a celebration going."

"Maybe that's just what they do?" Dean suggested. He followed the smell of rich food cooking, Cas tailing closely behind with the baby in his arms, being ogled by every fairy they passed.

There were dozens of cauldrons, bowls, fires and spit roasts filled with any kind of food one could think of. What amazed them both was how they were able to have food prepared and cooked in such and small window of time. Dean was in the best mood he had sported in a long time. He loaded up a wooden bowl with food and offered some to Cas.

"You're feeling good," said the beta, plucking a few peapods from the bowl. Dean had some kind of fowl's leg in his hand. He ripped into it and juice ran down his chin, then laughed and nodded at his partner.

"Being around these people is kinda bringing it out of me!" he admitted jovially. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I feel that my decision is close…and everything will be okay."

"Maybe it's the angel?" Cas suggested, looking down at the baby with pride. "If he's supposed to bring a new era of peace to the entire world, then he's certain to life our spirits. That would easy by comparison, don't you think?"

Dean took another tender bite of meat and smirked. "Yeah," he said. "That's a fantastic point, Cas. Maybe this little fella is radiating good vibes? I dunno. But either way, I feel great!"

"Here, here!" a fairy suddenly called out, waving a wad of fenugreek in her fist. She imposed it on Cas. "Eat this! A little every day, it'll help with your breast milk!"

"Oh, um, thank you."

"These are seeds to grow more for you _next batch,_ " she giggled, patting Cas' stomach gently.

"You can't hide eggs from a fairy!"

She sang softly to herself before disappearing into the crowd. Cas was surprised and staring blankly at the fenugreek. Dean gave a great big laugh as he now ladled out a generous goblet-full of wine.

"Mmm," he sipped, "This here is some good shit. And look at their cups!"

He showed the goblet off to Cas—who was about as impressed as he was!

"Goodness," said Cas. "That is of fine metal, I say."

"From the mines!" a wiry voice called out.

Cas turned and saw that older, messy fairy who had spoken to them several times now. He had attempted to flatten his spring hair and his stout figure had been crammed into a little green suit with pointed shoes. He looked ridiculous.

"Oh, yeah!" said Dean. He turned to the weird fairy and raised a finger at him. "Lemme ask you about that. These mines—where are they?"

"The mines," said the fairy, "are off to the north at the edge of the forest. The mouth is where the trees meet the mountains. The mines go deep beneath them."

"And it's just a fairy thing?" asked Dean.

"Well, only the fairies know about it. I'm sure if the cities found out, they'd wanna take it all!"

"I don't know if they would take _all_ ," said Cas, humbly. He rocked the baby in his arms.

"Of course they would!" the fairy groaned. "They trade those pieces for…living goods. We don't do that. We use those metals and stones we find to enjoy life, not trade them all away! The forest provides enough!"

Dean raised his goblet in agreement. "Here, here!" he said, somewhat drunk. "I totally agree! We went to that big city and you wouldn't believe what they do! You don't catch your own food! You gotta buy it—trade pieces of metal!"

"Crazy!" said the fairy. He got himself some wine and sipped it loudly, his wings fluttered. "By the way," he added, hunching a bit more. "I know you're Cas, but you are…"

"Dean."

"Deaaan. Hmm. They call me Metatron. I am, actually, one of the oldest fairies here!"

"Really?" Cas asked, trying to sound polite. It was obvious that he was older than the rest by far. Even King Ash only looked about Dean's age.

"Yeah," Metatron said. "221"

Dean sprayed a mouthful of wine all over the ground. "221?!"

Metatron grinned. "I _know_ , hard to believe I made it over 200!"

"Hard to believe?! It's impossible to believe! Nobody can live that long!"

" _Dean!_ " Cas hissed. The baby began to wake up. "They're fairies, they aren't like us!"

"Uh, Metatron?" Dean asked, turning back to his fairy company. "How long do you guys usually live?"

"Hmm, err, about 175. Around 130 they begin to look old. You know, I was _once_ young and supple."

Dean tightened his jaw. He served himself more wine to get through this conversation. "Were you _once_ an alpha or a beta?"

"No, neither," said Metatron.

"Neither?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "One of the sexless fairies, I'm afraid. Probably why I lived so long—never got distracted by smells and needs."

"I didn't know that was possible," said Cas.

"Probably not for humans, but, myaaah…every 30, 40 fairies born, one is sexless. No attraction."

"I'm sorry," said Cas. "That must be hard."

"No, it's fine," Metatron said, shaking his head. "I should be happy enough that I've lived to see the miracle baby! Name for the baby, by the way?"

"Not yet," said Cas.

"We're still thinking about it," Dean added.

"I think that's very smart, very smart that you're taking your time in naming your baby."

"I thought so, too," Cas agreed with the fairy. He tucked his shirt over the infant and began to nurse him casually. He suddenly brought his attention to an early subject. "That's why you didn't mind giving me so much gold—it doesn't hold as much value to you as the people in the Land."

"Exactly," said Metatron. "I thought if anyone could use it, it would be the miracle baby. And I was right, wasn't I? King Ash thinks that baby is special so he has got to be right. He _always_ is."

"We're still figuring it out," said Cas, "But we'll see."

"The best of luck to you!" Metatron laughed. "Dean, would you like to keep that goblet? I'll be making many more. 221 years is a long time to craft!"

"Yeah, I bet!" said Dean. "Most people don't make it past 60."

"Aww, that's a shame. Really a shame. I hope you all make it well past that."

"Thank you," said Cas, giving a small bow.

Metatron wandered away into the crowd and was swept away by the waves of colorful wings. Cas found a log to sit down on and finish nursing the baby. Dean was still eating and drinking. He hadn't had food that good or interesting since they had been at the Inn. As he ate, he remembered what those meals in Lawrence were like. For once, he kind of missed it, though _nothing_ topped Cas' cooking.

Amid the music, cheering, dancing, clinging of cups and flapping of wings, Dean found himself remembering the time he had spent with Cas early in their courtship, back in the Valley. He recalled the fish that he caught—the first time Cas ever had meat.

He thought about Gabe and Gadreel, too, and how they were the only members of Cas' herd that still spoke to him after he mated with Dean. He did not know that Tessa had apologized for her rude behavior. It could have been inferred, since he saved her life and nearly took his own, but it hadn't even occurred to Dean. He wondered where they were now.

Dean's daydream faded when he brought his focus back. They somehow fell onto Charlie and Meg, who were dancing in the crowd. There were two fairies on either side of Charlie—a female who was now holding the royal blue eggs and a male. They looked so much like Charlie that Dean assumed they must have been her parents.

Charlie extended her arms high into the air as she danced carefree to the chamber music. Everyone was laughing and fluttering their wings. It was nice to see that Meg had been accepted into the fairy's domain just as Cas and Dean had.

"Excuse me, Dean?"

A man's voice spoke to him softly. Dean turned and saw the tall hunter, Sam, smiling at him.

"Oh, hey," said Dean. He assumed that Sam was clueless to the possibility of them being related.

"I don't normally go to these things," Sam admitted with a nervous chuckle. He looked around quickly. "I figured I should come, since there's another alpha hunter here."

"You're mated with a fairy, right?" asked Dean. He swirled the remains of his wine within the goblet.

"Yes," Sam said, smiling. "Ruby, that one over there." He pointed a long, muscular arm into the crowd, where the raven haired fairy was dancing with their three toddlers.

"Your kids?" asked Dean.

"Yep. That's them."

"So that's how Charlie's tots will look, huh?"

"Probably. Half-fairies with a beta fairy and an alpha human. They don't have wings but the spots tell me they've inherited part of Ruby's powers. We won't find out for sure until they get older."

"These fairies are something different, aren't they?"

Sam laughed. "That's for sure."

"And you never wanted to leave?"

"It's Ruby," said Sam. "This is Ruby's kind. They're her people. It's her place. I can't take her away from that. Not without a good reason, at least. It's dangerous out there. Why do you think the fairy folk are so elusive? I don't want to put my family in danger."

"Hunters aren't like that," said Dean. "You've never left Arkhmoor, have you?"

"No."

"Well, hunters aren't that bad. I don't know what to tell you about the city—Cas liked it…"

Dean had to stop himself. It was too tempting to get into the details of kings, queens, angels and eggs. He wanted to talk with Ash before they involved Sam.

Changing the subject quickly, Dean nudged Sam in the ribs and laughed, "Ruby is half your size, maybe smaller! And you mate with you?"

"Y-yeah," said Sam, his cheeks flushing bright red. "I do…"

"You're hilarious."

"Maybe? It…it works!"

They chatted jovially about this and that as the party went on. It eventually thinned out—all of the food was eaten, all the wine drunk. The musicians stopped and the fairies were retreating to their homes. Sam gave Dean permission to stay at their house as long as they wished, just as Cas had before. It was very generous of them, especially since Dean had no idea when they would leave. That brought them to the original purpose of coming.

Dean and Cas went around the tree behind King Ash's throne and waited for him the show up. Dean's heart was racing. There was a chance that he would figure it all out that night.

"There you are," said a low voice. It startled them both since they didn't recognize it. King Ash was still dressed eccentrically, but he was speaking in a soft, relaxed voice. He grinned when he saw the three of them. "Thanks for stickin' around."

"Sure," said Dean. "So uh, can we have our serious talk now?"

"'Course we can. Come around, come around. I bet you've eaten way enough."

"Yeah," said the alpha. Cas nodded. He was tired.

They sat around a tiny table the king had back there. Ash folded his fingers together and kept them against his chest, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm gonna tell you a story now. Listen carefully."

"All right," said Dean.

"We will," said Cas.

King Ash took a deep breath and began to recount a tale from 30 years ago, when a young woman stumbled into the woods seeking shelter. She was incredibly sick but carried an egg with her.

"I'm going to die here," she said. "There's no way that I can recover."

Ash had taken her into a small house and made a nest. He wrapped the egg in fairy fabric to keep it safe. The fairy king was there with a few others to help, one of whom was Charlie.

"Lord of the fairies, I ask that only you and I are to speak right now."

King Ash agreed to the woman and sent the others away. They closed the door and Ash sat next to the woman, who was so pale and so weak that she was due to die at any moment.

"You may not believe this," the woman began, "But as a king yourself, I trust that you do. I am Queen Mary of Lawrence. My husband, King John, has been killed my Lord Azazel."

"Ah, Lord Azazel. Guess he's at it again."

"Yes," said Mary. "I'm…I'm surprised you know about him."

"Sure," said King Ash. "Azazel's realm in the north used to be called Avalon, the land of the fairies. He came from another place, another land—man, I dunno—another realm! He killed most of the fairies but my pops ran away with some and found a safe place here. 'Course I know about Azazel."

Mary's lower lip trembled. "I am so sorry," she whispered. "Incredibly sorry."

"I never knew what Avalon was like, and it's okay. Why did Azazel kill the king?"

"Because of the prophecy."

"Which?"

"The prophecy of the angel."

"Angel?"

"An angel fell upon the land a long time ago, and that was where Lawrence was built. The angel kept peace in all of Kaz. But for some reason, the angel had to leave. They went to…"

Mary paused here. Her wide eyes stared at Ash.

"Yeah? Went to…?" The fairy king asked.

"Perhaps they went to Avalon to try and stop Azazel."

" _Oh_ ," Ash said, gasping softly.

"If so, they certainly failed. I do not know what happened. Only, that…that there was a prophecy left. It said that the angel would return to us one day, born of the Winchesters. The angel's return shall be the first sign of the new age. An era of peace."

"When?"

"I don't know. This egg, my egg, perhaps it is the angel. I don't know. But…dear fairy king, I need you to promise me something."

"Anything, Queen Mary."

The queen reached out with a thin, pale hand in desperation. She trembled. Ash took her fingers and held them lightly. She tried to squeeze back.

"I have a boy, too. He is but a baby. I have left him in the care of my old pack, the pack of the Pastures. The leader there, Cain, has been told that my boy shall never know his fate, _unless_ his mate gives birth to the angel. The same shall go for my second born here. If the child is a boy, please name him Samuel. If they are a girl, please name them Mary, after myself. But do not tell them they are royalty. If Azazel hears those words, he will hunt them. He will find them. He will curse them and they will die this same, incurable illness that has taken me and my husband."

"I understand," said Ash.

"Please promise me," she begged. "I trust my pack to keep it a secret, and now I trust you. If my children know about their lineage, they were surely grow curious, even if they know it will kill them…"

"I promise. I promise that this egg won't know they're royalty unless they have the angel. And if? If they have the angel?"

"Tell them," Mary gasped. "Tell them everything. Tell them that they are certain to kill Azazel. The angel is a miracle…"

Mary's time was coming. Her breath grew short.

"The miracle egg…it's only one egg…it comes…with a crown…you will know…a crown of color."

King Ash nodded. "I promise you, Queen Mary, to uphold this oath."

"Protect my people…dear king…king of the fairies…"


	33. Chapter 33

"And that's the way it went down," said Ash, finally finishing his story.

Halfway through, he had served a strong, pungent liquor which Dean had just drank a second goblet-full of. They said that dizzy-drink is potentially dangerous for a mother with eggs, so Cas had an herbal tea instead.

Dean's hand was shaking around the goblet's base. Here was undeniable proof that he was indeed the King of Lawrence. He was sitting across from a being who had actually known his real mother.

His entire life up until the first deduction that Dorothy had made back in the city, Dean assumed that he would never know his parents. King ash's story was certainly proof enough—it added up perfectly with everything else that had been told or questioned.

"So do we tell Sam?" asked Dean, his lip twitching.

"Uh, if there was ever time," the king of the fairies said, "It'd be now."

Dean took his free hand and put it on Cas' thigh, giving it a slight squeeze for security. "Gotta find Lord Azazel," he muttered. "Gotta kill him-before he kills me. Or my family." His mouth was open as he stared at his empty goblet. The good feelings he carried earlier had drained away and only a sour froth of shock and fear settled in his stomach, mixing with the dizzy-drink unpleasantly so. "These eyes I've been dreaming about," he whispered, "They're Azazel's, like I thought. I bet. He knows where I am. Nobody is safe…King Ash?"

"Uh huh?"

"You have any idea how to kill Lord Azazel?"

The fairy king shook his head solemnly. "If I did, I prob'ly would have tried years ago. But ya know, something tells me that it ain't just a sword to the throat!"

Dean and Cas exchanged a grimace, which the king had to agree with.

"What do you figure is my next step?" asked Dean.

"I can't make that kind of decision for you," said Ash. "But, I _will_ offer you everything my people can; the most bad-ass weapons we forge, the strongest potions, the sneakiest tricks, and a bit of advice that my pops gave me a long, long time ago… 'Talk to everyone but keep your guard up. Look at everything with two sets of eyes.'" He paused here to clear his throat. The butterflies and bees that always buzzed about his head were starting to settle upon his eccentric crown. "I think if you head out that way and ask the right folks, you'll figure out what you need to do and how."

"And I'm going with you," said Cas.

"No!" Both Ash and Dean yelled at the same time, causing Cas to frown.

"Cas," Dean sighed, "We have a baby now and another one on the way. It'd be irresponsible of myself as a father, an alpha, a leader, a king—what the fuck I am—to allow you to come with me."

"But, Dean, I've almost lost you already!" Cas cried. "We've been moving and moving. Death has almost pulled us apart on more than one occasion! I can simply stand here and watch it happen _again!_ "

"If I may?" King Ash cut in. "Remember the prophecy that your mom talked about. She said the angel will bring a new era of peace. Now that he's here, don'cha think that Deal will be successful?"

Cas gave a low sigh. He looked down at the sleeping, winged baby in his arms and Dean touched his arm.

"You're a mother now," said the alpha. "That has to come before everything. Before me, before the Great Land."

"You can uh," Ash interrupted the conversation again, propelling it out of an awkward silence, "Give us a couple of days. We'll be able to outfit you in the very best stuff we got. Our crafters will be on it right away! But erm, until then…just relax. Spend time with each other and the baby. Things'll work out. I'll get'cha when we're ready."

After the fairy king exhausted any useful conversation, Dean and Cas went back to Sam and Ruby's for the night, where a nest had been made up for them and a cradle sat for the baby.

"How are you feeling, Cas?" Ruby asked when they returned. She was tidying up the area of chairs around the fireplace while the three toddlers chased their great big dog.

"Pretty well, actually," said Cas. He leaned over and nestled the baby into the crib's blankets. The child had just been nursed and was more than ready to sleep.

"And the other egg?" the fairy inquired, coming over to Cas now and observing his stomach. It was already beginning to protrude.

"It feels fine," said Cas, smiling more. He pointed to the dozing tot. "Better than he did. I wonder if being an angel made my pregnancy harder?"

Cas looked around for Dean and noticed that he and Sam were gone. The inevitable was already happening. He took a deep breath and got into the nice.

"Ruby…"

"Hm?"

The fairy's bright wings fluttered expectantly.

"Many things are happening," Cas said rather quietly.

"I gathered."

"Dean is leaving me to find this Lord Azazel."

"Ohh," Ruby cooed. The little girl came to her now and grappled at her legs. "I'm sorry."

Cas forced himself to smile. Looking at his hands that sat in his lap. He stopped himself before he spoke more of what Ash said—it wasn't up to _him_ to declare the truth about Sam and Dean. Ruby waited. Cas took a stiff breath before he continued to speak. "Truths will come to pass. Some for better, but some for worse. Either way," he looked up at Ruby now, "We must accept it."

Unaware of what Cas was implying, the fairy nodded. "I get it," she said. "Well…I'm going to put the children to bed now. If you need anything, get me or Sam. You can wake us up. That's fine."

"Thank you," said Cas.

She rounded up the toddlers then disappeared into the home's second room. Not long after, Sam came in looking chipper and went the way that Ruby had. Finally, Dean returned. He went to the fireplace, which had smoldering embers burning away, and stared at it for a few moments in silence. Cas watched the entire time.

"Dean…"

"Yeah?" Dean muttered. His face was focused on the dying flames with his jaw tight.

"How did he take it?"

"Didn't tell him yet."

"What?!" Cas gasped. "Dean, he's going to find out. I think you of all people ought to tell him! You remember what King Ash said."

"Yeah, I know." Dean blinked slowly, still staring at the fire. He shifted on his heels and clasped his hands behind his back. Cas saw his chest rise and fall heavily with strong breaths. "I'll…I'll figure it out." He remained there for a while after they both stopped speaking.

"Oh, Dean…darling…please come to bed. Tell him in the morning."

"I will," Dean sighed. He stripped down to his underwear and joined Cas in the cozy guest-nest. He lay on his back and took Cas into his arms. "How's the little one?"

Cas made sure that he, too, were on his back so that the next egg was safe. He held Dean's fingers between his own. "He is well. Hungry, always hungry. But he doesn't fuss much and I'm thankful."

"Good," said Dean. He cuddled into Cas more and eventually leaned down to kiss his neck.

"Dean," Cas sighed, closing his eyes and tipped his head back. "Don't tease me. You know I'm with egg and can't get my nasties out."

"Mm I know," Dean whispered. He kissed Cas' flesh longer before he rested back into the pillows. "Just got to feel you close to me…before I uh, before I go."

In the morning, Sam was up early and offered Dean a line to go fish with.

"Oh, man!" said Dean. "I haven't caught anything in—well, too long by my standards! Gonna come with me?"

Sam shook his head. "I have things I need to work on," he explained. "Orders from King Ash, actually. I don't normally care or follow up, but I will this time."

Dean laughed forcibly. His first shot at talking to Sam already went out the window!

"What kinda orders are that important?" he asked. Sam just pressed his lips together and smiled. Then it occurred to Dean, and he blushed. "Ooh! You mean—for—for me?!"

"Yep. Just what I should do, you know?"

"Right! Hah…haha!"

Dean was impressed that Sam, who clearly was not fond of the fairies, was suddenly doing what they wanted him to. He didn't know that Dean was his brother, yet he was going out of his way to help him.

"Hee-eere!" Ruby sang out from the fireplace. She had a cauldron boiling that she brought to the kitchen table now. The toddlers gathered around a bowl and began eating a mush with their fingers. Ruby knelt down, got some clay cups from a box, sprinkled different herbs into them and poured hot water into each. "Cas, this one's for you," she said, pointing to one of them.

Cas had the baby out. He held him in one arm as he came to the table and took a seat to drink the tea. "Thank you," he said.

"These are more herbs that'll help you get through your pregnancy," Ruby explained. Cas took a sip and almost burnt himself. "Careful. I just made it."

Sam and Dean had different kinds of tea but they all tasted great. They joined everyone at the table. Dean was quiet. He watched Cas as he manipulated the baby beneath his nightshirt for a meal.

"I have to say," Cas began, smiling at Ruby, "My milk production has increased even in the short time that I've been here."

"There are herbs for _everything_ ," Ruby said with a laugh, hunching over slightly. She sipped her tea and pat one of the little boys on the head. He was sucking mush off of his fingers and staring at his mother with wide brown eyes. The three of them were incredibly cute.

Cas glanced over at Dean momentarily and chuckled beneath his breath. "I'm impressed with your kind's knowledge," he said, still addressing Ruby, "And once more, your hospitality."

Sam laughed. "They're _great_ ," he said, "If you can get passed how crazy they are." Ruby didn't respond to that but stuck her tongue out to her mate.

Once the tea had been finished and Ruby began to clean up, the children were still eating their mush (which had been explained as a pudding made from certain seeds and fruits) while Dean picked up his fishing line to leave.

"Catch something proper to eat," he said.

"I'll join you," said Cas.

"Please."

The put their angel baby into a wrap that Ruby taught them how to fold, which kept him tucked up against Cas' chest but gave the mother the complete use of his arms. Sam told them where a nice creek was and they followed his directions down there.

The morning sun came through the trees in a most delightful way. It sparkled between the trunks that expanded seemingly forever in all directions. The forest was quiet and the air was cool. The lush grasses the stepped between, using toe paths that had long been worn to dirt, were wet with morning dew. Cas was happy to be outside.

Dean walked slightly behind with the fishing line in one hand and the other resting upon Cas' lower back. It wasn't right for Dean to be in front. Though the fairies said that the forest was safe, being a hunter, Dean knew that nature had a funny way of handing out surprises. To be a good alpha, he had to keep his precious beta in his sight at all times.

They settled down on a sandy bank along the creek and Dean cast his line out. The water appeared to be about three feet in the deepest. It was crystal clear and trickled by peacefully. He could already spot large fish swimming downstream.

"This is a good place," Cas said. He lay on his back with the baby resting upon him and propped his head against Dean's thigh. Looking up, he watched the trees move gently in a mild breeze. They parted around the creek to give a perfect view of the pale morning sky. The baby cooed softly and Cas touched him.

"I like it, too," said Dean.

They sat like that for a long while. The fish would swim by but none of them were interested. Secretly, Dean and Cas were happy about that because they were enjoying the quiet time so much. Cas tucked a hand into the baby's wrap and touched his stumpy wings. Feathers had been growing in since the day he hatched, and it was only a matter of time until they started to itch. It was certainly different—and not to mention difficult—to accommodate the baby's wings, but Cas was happy to cut holes in each piece of clothing. He wondered how their child's life would be as he aged.

"Dean," Cas said softly at last, breaking a long, wonderful silence.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want you to leave."

Dean gave a heavy sigh. "I know." He tugged the line and tried to lean into against Cas more. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Cas. "I have been thinking…did you see Abaddon before we left the town?"

"No, don't think so."

"Well, she has been terribly sad since Cain passed. I was keeping an eye on her because the depression was so heavy when I noticed that her children were being cared for by Rowena. I'm sure she trusts her, but still…it's a shame that Abaddon's own feelings are preventing her from being the mother she should be. I don't want to be like that."

Dean smiled. "That's pretty noble of you, Cas."

"Thank you," Cas said with a shy chuckle.

There was a strong tug on Dean's line suddenly. He sat up and pulled, grinning. "Woah-hoh!" he called. "Got one! Got a big'un!"

He pulled and pulled until a great, sparkling fish came flying out of the creek. Cas gave Dean some space and watched with amazement, petting the now-asleep baby.

"Gonna eat good today!" Dean cheered.


	34. Chapter 34

When they came back to Sam and Ruby's house, the dog was overly excited to see Dean's catch. "Hey! Enough!" Sam called out as the hound encircled Dean, panting hard as his tail wagged with anticipation.

"Sorry, buddy," said Dean. He held the fish high and away from the Dog's face. "This one ain't for you."

"Well, we usually give him the insides," Sam explained. "The ones with no bones, at least."

"Yeah, okay. Sure."

"There's a place to prepare meat out back. Do you want me to show you?"

"Sounds good."

Sam went ahead and rounded the house, but Cas, standing stiffly, tugged on Dean's arm and whispered, "Tell him, please."

"Right, right, I will," Dean muttered, nodding quickly. "Go ahead and take the little one inside."

Cas made a sound of approval and disappeared to seek out Ruby and her kids. Dean, fish in hand, followed Sam to the space around the back. They had a few stone slabs and a work area set up for cutting and prepping meat. Sam pointed and Dean put the fish down on one of the tables. He was given a knife and began to work.

"Can I help?" asked Sam.

"Uhh, yeah," Dean said slowly. He had whacked off the head of the fish and was working to get the spine out. "You can take this half, and also you can listen to what I have to tell you."

"What?" Sam asked, straightening up. His eyes widened in response to being surprised. He carefully took the other half of the fish and looked at Dean cautiously.

"I, uh," Dean began, completely unsure of how to go about this, "Gotta tell you something. Important. 'Bout you and me."

"We're…related, aren't we?"

Dean froze and nearly dropped the knife. He felt a tingle down his spine. Should he laugh or be intimidated?

"Is that what you're going to tell me?" Sam asked, relatively calmly. "We're related?"

"You _knew?"_ Dean asked in a quiet voice, looking at the other man now. He stared into his hazel eyes with disbelief. "Did King Ash tell you?"

"Um, no," said Sam with a soft laugh. "I had a feeling, that's all. When Cas first showed up I considered how strange it was that the first human to wander into Arkhmoor since my mother happened to enter and lay just one egg. Again, like my mother. That really piqued my curiosity and I wondered about it the entire time after Cas left. I thought that maybe he and I were related, but he had also mentioned that his missing mate was a hunter. _That_ is was really got me interested. His mate was a hunter and he had just one egg. In Arkhmoor.

"Cas had a perilous journey ahead of him and I was certain he wouldn't make it. But apparently he did. He found his mate, which that alone is miraculous, but then he comes _back_ to the fairy's forest and has another egg to lay! I knew that you and I shared something somewhere…do you know the relation?"

Dean, speechless, chuckle out of his nose, wet his lips and took a stronger stance on the ground. Bracing himself, he muttered, "You're my brother."

"Brother? Ha…ha!..." Sam laughed with surprise. His little gasps popped out of his open mouth, but his eyes soon filled with tears. "My brother. You're my brother! My _brother!_ I have family!"

"Yeah," said Dean, "We are brothers…and our mom? Dad? They were the king and queen of Lawrence."

"What?! The big city?!"

"Yeah."

"S-so…oh, my Chuck. Then you're the…the ki—the…the ki—"

"The rightful king of Lawrence, yeah."

Dean was used to explaining his theoretical lineage by now, and the entire revelation was decently plain to him. He could act casual about it even though Sam was unable to contain his emotions. The taller, younger man had tears running down his cheeks and his hands trembled.

"Th-that's amazing!" Sam gasped. "Then…then why are you here? Shouldn't you be in Lawrence? Shouldn't you be king?"

Dean pressed his lips together. Though he acted more composed than his brother, his insides were knotting up with responsibility.

"It's complicated," he muttered, "But for now, I gotta go on my 'valiant quest' to slay Lord Azazel."

"Then I'm coming with you, without a doubt," Sam stated proudly. He nodded and sniffed. "You're my older brother and you're going on this adventure, and I am going to be by your side."

"I…I dunno, Sam. Let me think about it."

"Well, okay." Sam looked down and chuckled softly. "I still can't believe it. Can't believe you're my brother."

With the initial shock and excitement of the secret revealed passing, the brothers went back to preparing the fish. Dean pulled a couple of extra bones out of the meat and wiped them off on the table, smiling to himself. Sam nudged him with his elbow. "What's Lawrence like?"

"UH. Big? Different? Really different."

"How so?" asked Sam.

"For starters, they don't poop in the ground."

"Wha?"

"They don't poop in the ground. Instead there's these _rooms_ with boxes that have holes you sit on. You shit and piss in them and the holes carry them away to the river."

"Seriously? That's incredible!"

"Yeah, you bathe in there, too. And it all goes out the same place. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess."

"It must be clean!"

"It is, actually. But the food? Food is fuckin' weird!"

Sam chuckled. "How?"

"It's like Metatron said; you take gold and change it into little round things, then you use the round things to exchange for food."

"Interesting."

"People do your cooking for you."

"Huh!" Sam was impressed. "It sounds—nice!"

"I dunno if nice is the best word. Different. Weird. Awkward."

"Did they cook well?"

Dean shrugged. "The food we had was pretty good, yeah. I didn't know what half of it was, but it was okay. I just prefer to catch my own."

Sam hummed to himself as he pushed some entrails into a scrap bucket. His mind was buzzing with ideas of the city. "Does everyone live like that?"

"They said that if you have a house there, you can cook on your own. But you gotta buy your meat! Buy soap, buy tools—buy everything!"

"But then you wouldn't have to make it or catch it. Imagine what else you could get done if you weren't busy making tools all day! I have to see this place. I might like it! I bet Ruby would, too. Were they fairies there?"

"No, seemed pretty unheard of. They had the big castle, though. Anything could be in there. They had this library place."

"A what?"

"A library. It's this building where they keep these _book_ things in it."

"Book things, huh?" Sam asked, turning his head to look at Dean briefly.

"Books are like," Dean winced as he struggled to find the words, "A big stack of square leaves all tied together. People take dark liquid and put lines into them. The lines mean words."

Sam tried to fathom what Dean was explaining. His excitement was growing by the second! " _Lines_ mean _words_?" He asked slowly, making sure he had heard Dean correctly.

"Yeah, yeah, like uhh…hm…" Dean looked around the table. "Oh, here."

He took a few small fish bones and arranged them on the surface in the shape of the W. Though he didn't know the meaning, it was a letter he had seen several times. Sam watched curiously. He had stopped prepping the fish all together.

"This makes a sound," said Dean. "If you look at it, you know that it makes a certain sound."

"This _creates_ a noise?"

"Uh, no, like, you know that you can talk the noise it makes."

"Hmm…okay."

"Then you can take different ones and line 'em up, then they make words. You could take the right ones, line them up and you would know they mean 'Sam.' If you owned something, you would write those lines on it and anybody who could read them would know that it was yours, 'cause that group of line means 'Sam.'"

"That's amazing!" Sam suddenly gasped. "Incredible! They have leaves that had groups of lines on them? And they mean things?"

"Yep," Dean said with a nod. "They've got people that do it. The history of the city is put into lines and then into books. People read them and know about the history."

"I have no idea!" Sam said. "These lines…books? That's life changing, Dean! Now I _have_ to see the city. I must learn how to do this!"

"It was a little weird," admitted Dean.

"Weird?! It's incredible! You could, theoretically, if Iunderstand this right—you could arrange lines that tell stories! You could tell the story of how we found out we were brothers! Then anybody who knew how to read lines could take that, er, bo-ook, and know the story, just as if someone had told it to them! But nobody did."

Dean had finished prepping the fish and was cutting the good meat into cubes, ready to be cooked. Sam was almost at the same point but his rambling had stalled his work.

"I guess so," Dean said flatly. "I didn't think it was all that cool. I was happier—"

He suddenly stopped talking. Sam leaned over to him. "What?"

Dean cleared his throat and kept slicing up the fish. He muttered, "I was happier in the Valley."

"That's where Cas came from, right?"

"Uh huh."

They said nothing more on the subject and took the good meat inside to be cooked. Ruby had a cauldron over the fireplace that was ready for the fish. Cas sat on a chair with the baby in his arms. He smiled when he saw Dean return, noticing Sam's excitement.

"Ruby!" Sam shouted happily. His toddlers ran over to him. "Wait until you hear what Dean told me!"

Dean got to hear his entire story retold now. He didn't mind. In fact, he liked to hear Sam be so excited. He was his brother, after all. Cas was happy, too. Dean took the baby for a bit and held him in his arms while they listened.

"And these books," Sam continued, "They have lines. And the lines mean words! The words can be said when you look at them."

"You want to go to the city, don't you?" Ruby chuckled. One of the boys was trying to climb up her leg.

"I do! I really do. And I think you'd like it, too."

"Hah. Maybe."

Dean had to interrupt them here. "Hold on," he said. "You don't want to go anywhere until I finish my business with Lord Azazel. The city might not be safe right now."

Sam's smile quickly faded. "Right," he said, then turned to Ruby. "Dean's going to kill the dark lord and I'm going with him."

The fairy was not happy about that. "What?!" She threw the spoon she had been stirring their stew with onto the ground. "You're leaving?! You're going over there?! That's too dangerous! Sam! I need you here!"

Sam went to Ruby's side and put his arms around her. He looked quite sincere. "No, you have to understand," he said.

Cas and Dean looked at each other and gave a silent nod that they should give them space to talk it out, so they left. They took their baby out front. Sam's dog followed them and watched from a distance.

"Is Sam really going with you?" Cas asked, closing the front door behind him. Sam and Ruby couldn't be heard from the outdoors.

"I told him I would think about it," said Dean. He still had the baby boy in his arms, who was looking up at him with big, slate-blue eyes.

"What do you think?"

"I still have time," Dean continued, "But I think I'll let him. I don't want him to, but he does. And I can't deny him what he thinks is right. If I had the chance to, I wouldn't have let you leave the Valley and go on by yourself to find me. But it was the right thing to do, after all." He smiled at Cas weakly.

"Noble, Dean. That's quite noble of you."

Dean laughed. "Shit, if I'm king…I gotta get used to making decisions—and quickly."

"Indeed."

"Here."

Dean handed the infant back to Cas, who took him with ease. Though his stomach was getting bigger and bigger, the baby could still fit in his arms comfortably. Dean touched Cas' side. "Just waiting on the fairies to finish their metal working," he said, "Then we'll be gone."


	35. Chapter 35

The following day, it occurred to everyone that if Sam were to join Dean, he would also need supplies made for him. Cas went out to Metatron's workshop in the hopes that this could be done in a reasonable time frame. His workshop was a house, similar to Sam and Ruby's, though bigger and had more chimneys since he did a great deal of working with fire. Cas went in and asked him about armor for Sam.

"Sam?" asked Metatron. "Why Sam?"

"He's joining Dean. They think that it will be easier together."

"Sounds like a wise decision, but it'll take more time. I'm almost done with everything for Dean, but Sam's a bigger man—do you think you can wait?"

"Yes," Cas said with confidence. He had left the baby Dean and was happy to have no extra weight on him aside from the new egg, which with the herbs courtesy of the fairies, was little more than a larger stomach. Visibly pleased to be relieved of the baby, Cas' smile turned into a sheepish grimace as his eyes grazed over a table along the wall. It was dotted with ornamental pieces that Metatron had made. "I was wondering if you could, perhaps, make something special for me?"

"If you don't mind waiting," Metatron smirked.

"No, I don't, but it is important that it's completed before Dean leaves."

The next several days moved on pleasantly, though many anticipations were rising high—Cas was due to lay the egg at any moment, and the next chapter in Dean's life was waiting on Metatron to finish the metal working.

It was fortunate for Dean that he had been relieved of the nightmares with yellow eyes watching him. King Ash explained that it would take Lord Azazel a long time until he went searching in Arkhmoor, for as long as the king knew, the dark lord had no knowledge of fairies still existing. To him, the forest was nothing more than a group of trees that rounded the great mountains. The only aspect of this that concerned Dean was what Azazel might be doing to the town where his pack remained. He tried not to think about it. There was nothing he could do anyway.

Unable to sleep one night, Dean found himself stepping outside of the house to smoke some of Cain's tobacco. He sat down on one of the chairs they kept there, pressed the pipe between his lips and lit the smooth herb. He stared up and saw a few bits of dark sky looking at him between the trees. He wondered, "Is Chuck watching? Does he know that I'm about to leave and try to save the entire Great Land of Kaz? Maybe die…just for the Great Land…"

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the front door open. He turned his head and saw Sam coming out.

"Can't sleep?" the younger of them asked.

"Don't wanna," said Dean. He puffed on the pipe more. "What 'bout you?"

"I'm trying to spend time with Ruby but the children exhaust her. She's wracked with fear and worry about us leaving. It really caught her by surprise."

"And you?"

Sam chuckled lightly and took a seat beside his brother. He sat back in an opposing position to Dean, who was now hunched forward with his elbows on his knees. Dean offered the pipe to Sam and he took it, puffed some, and smirked greater. "Like I said," he began, enjoying the pipe, "I had a feeling things would change. I certainly didn't know the extent, but I knew. Life wouldn't be the same as soon as I saw Cas coming back. Poor Ruby had no idea."

"Well, you'll come back," Dean said. "We'll both comeback. We're gonna gank this motherfucking Azazel and then we'll all go to Lawrence. You can be prince of whatever the fuck."

"Jeez, Dean, no need to get so serious about it!"

They both laughed.

"What am I supposed to do?" Dean sighed, smiling. He took the pipe back from Sam and nursed it delicately between his round lips. "If I don't laugh, I'm going to—"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A pained cry from within the house stopped Dean immediately. The men got up and ran inside, knowing exactly what the noise meant. Cas had got up on his hands and knees and was straining, red faced and miserable. Ruby came bolting in from the bedroom.

"Cas!" Dean shouted, rushing to his side. "Is it the egg?"

"Y-yes," Cas muttered, tightening his jaw. He desperately groped around for Dean's touch, his face fixed on staring at the floor. Ruby went to his other side and touched his back gently.

"Remember the last time we did this?" she asked.

"Y-yeah-huh…"

"Take deep breaths, relax…deep breaths…"

Giving birth was a better experience with Dean there. Cas was able to rely on his mate for support, both physically and mentally, and held his arms the entire time. It was a terrible sight for Dean, though. He hated to see Cas in such distress—groaning, crying, panting.

"Almost, almost there," Ruby cooed, keeping an eye on Cas' privates. They no doubt expanded and were readying for the egg laying. "You're doing great!"

"Oooh! H-horrible!" Cas whimpered. He pulled himself into Dean's embrace more and sobbed.

"Cas, it's okay," Dean whispered. It was hard to be calm when he worried so much.

"GaaaAAAAAAAAAH!"

With an earsplitting scream, a soft egg pushed out of Cas' cloaca and right into a blanket that Ruby was holding open for him. Cas was drooling and sweating against Dean, whimpering and trembling greatly.

"It's out!" Ruby said. She smiled to Dean overtop the beta, but Cas was still crying.

"N-no," he sniffed. "It's—aah! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Then came a second egg. This took Ruby by surprise and she had to be careful in handling them. "Oh, my Chuck," she gasped. "Cas? How do you feel?"

Cas took a deep breath at last and collapsed into Dean's arms. He closed his eyes and did his best to relax. "Th-that's it…"

"You had two," said Ruby.

"Two?" Cas asked weakly, trying to turn his head to see. Sam and Dean helped him turn onto his back so he could be propped up into Dean's lap and take the eggs.

"How's that possible?" Dean asked. He looked at Sam and Ruby.

"The fairy spots on him," Ruby began. "They make him fertile. They probably increase the size of his clutches."

Blissful with the arrival of two more children, Dean was still focused on the mysteries of the past. He glanced at Sam. "So that's how you're part of the Winchester line but you had three eggs in your clutch."

"I guess," said Sam.

"Does it matter?" Cas asked his partner. "Look at our new eggs…"

They were both a soft cyan like the other one, but neither had a corona of any color. This proved to them that the green circle was a sign of the angel and not a coloring pattern for their offspring. Cas held the eggs close in his arms and leaned back against Dean more.

"Are you gonna be okay with two eggs and a baby?" Dean asked.

"Yes, of course."

"And I'll help, too," Ruby added.

At that moment, the angel baby stirred and whined softy from his crib. It was amazing that he had stayed asleep throughout Cas' egg laying.

"I'll get him," said the fairy. She then promptly brought the baby to the couple and Dean took him.

"Easy, little fella," Dean said, bouncing the baby gently. "Look what happened here! You're going to have two new siblings soon. We'll be a decent family."

Cas looked back at Dean. He was exhausted but smiling nonetheless. "I'm so happy," he whispered. They kissed. "I am so, so happy."

They all slept with great relief after Cas laid his eggs successfully. The baby behaved well, as did Ruby's children. Cas was thrilled to have two more eggs, and this time Dean had been with him to lay them. Life would have been beautiful and perfect had the future not been so dismal. Either way, they spent the next few days relaxing and making the best of their time. Since Sam and Dean would have an indeterminate amount of time to get to know each other, they made a point of staying apart so as to give their loved ones all the attention before leaving.

Dean and Cas would take their young family down to the creek and catch a fish every day. They rested in the sun and played with their infant. His wings were starting to bud more and he would occasionally try and stretch them. It was lucky that they were in the fairy's forest, since wings—though not of the feathered variety—were more common than not and the fairies loved to watch the baby experiment with his. An infant angel was such a mysterious creature. Cas wondered if Sam and Dean would return with more information regarding their child's origins.

Then, at last, Metatron came around one morning and announced that he had finished making supplies for Sam and Dean. The brothers were immediately outfitted in the goods—strong, smooth armor sat over their clothes and gleamed in the early sunlight. It reminded Dean of the guards in Lawrence, only Metatron's was more sleek and stylized. It had different colored metals, too.

Dean brought Ammy and another horse that Sam took care of and hooked them to his old wagon. Cas and Ruby were busy getting supplies ready for their journey. There were few words exchanged.

Before they left, King Ash made a timely appearance. He had a few basketfuls of goods to offer as well.

"This is oil to keep evil spirits away," he explained, pointing to a large, clay urn. He then gestured to a few bags. "Powerful herbs that you can burn to send light beacons into the air. They'll go real high!"

"Damn," said Dean. "That's cool."

"Super cool!" the king agreed. "The rest is self-explanatory. Swords! The finest we have. I've been keepin' 'em for a while!"

Sam pulled a long, shiny blade out from the bag. There were glimmering gemstones in the hilt. "Wow," Sam said, humbled. "It's nice and heavy, too."

"There're more weapons," said King Ash. "You guys are set! Dean? Sam? I wish you the best of luck on your journey!"

"Thanks," said Dean.

"Thank you," Sam added with a slight bow.

The king stepped aside while Sam and Dean got into the wagon. Cas, baby in his arms and eggs in a close by basket, stared up at his mate with the biggest, saddest eyes. Dean frowned back at him.

"I'm sorry, Cas, but you know I gotta go. I'll be back. Remember the last time I promised?" Cas nodded solemnly. "I promise I'll be back. I mean it."

Sam said his teary farewells to his children and kissed Ruby goodbye. The fairy's wings fluttered sadly when they embraced for the last time. His dog, too, stood nearby with an ever-faithful seriousness.

The cart began to pull away but Cas stopped. "Wait," he said. His hand extended out to Dean.

"What's this?"

"Dean, I…I know that this journey will be your most difficult—and dangerous. I feel—I know—that you will do things you don't normally." Cas shook his head as he spoke, tears running down his cheeks. The baby cooed. "And it doesn't matter. You must remember to do what is right, always, just like you say. If it is right to kill people in your way, do it. Please. I…I think…well, no matter what happens, I'll wait for you."

There was an odd sensation in Cas' heart at this moment. He felt energy wrapping around his insides and he cried harder. Dean's face seemed, to him, the only thing that mattered.

"Cas?"

"D-Dean, I will wait forever until you return. Remember that…and this is for you if you forget."

Dean took the object within Cas' damp fist and examined it. At the end of a fine, gold chain sat a crystal that was blue like Cas' eyes. There was a gold casing at the top that attached it to the chain. Dean immediately put it around his neck and hiding beneath his armor.

"You look brave," Cas said, smiling weakly.

"Hah, I guess," Dean laughed bitterly through his nose. He looked down at his mate and tried to smile back. Cas stood there with the baby wiggling in his arms and his hair getting too long. His face was tired and worried. "You look like a mother," said Dean. "You look beautiful. Bye, Cas."

There was nothing left to say. Cas stood next to Ruby and waved until the wagon had disappeared into the forest.


	36. Chapter 36

The day crept on as Sam and Dean rode their wagon through Arkhmoor, heading towards an uncertain future. They did not speak for most of the day as neither of them knew what to say. There was pain for them both, and they understood it greatly.

At long last, Sam perked up and turned to Dean. They were both sitting at the reigns, a horse to control for each. "This is the furthest I've ever gone out of the woods," said Sam. "The furthest I've been from Ruby."

"You've really never left? Ever?"

"No. I've always been there. I've always…been with Ruby."

Sam looked deeply sad at this point. His voice grew weak and pained.

"It's not too bad," said Dean. "You'll get used to it."

"Yeah, I suppose I will."

They had fresh food to sustain their energy through the first day without needing to stop and cook. They rode through the night, alternating drivers of the wagon for the other to sleep. It would be more efficient that way, since they wouldn't have to stop and camp as much.

Finally, as the next evening closed in, they broke out of the forest. Dean knew this path almost as well as Cas by now, but Sam was taken by a somber silence as they stepped out of Arkhmoor and into the vast plains that stretched far before them into the vague direction of the realm of Azazel. The mountains which surrounded the old Valley that Cas had come from stood proudly to the north, watching as Sam and Dean's wagon pressed on and on.

They came to a part in the terrain that grew more shrubbery and thick grasses along with some low trees that had been shaped by constant breeze across the plains. Small wildlife was running rampant at the sound of their wagon creaking and the horses pulling it. The sun was going down and casting brilliant colors across the sky.

It did not take long for Dean to spot another wagon crossing their path, heading towards the mountains. There was a single horse pulling it. As they grew closer, they say that the man at the reigns was of a stately, stoic nature. He saw Sam and Dean and called out from afar, "Hail, travelers !" then redirected his course to come straight towards them.

Dean squinted to see the man better and recognized him at once. "Gadreel!?" he called out.

"Is that you, Dean?"

"Yeah!"

A few more greetings were exchanged at a distance until they were close enough to speak at normal levels.

"By Chuck! I never thought I would see you again, Dean. Where is Castiel?"

Sensing great concern in Gadreel's voice, Dean did his best to relax the man. "Cas is fine," he said firmly. "He's in the forest back that way, with… _good people_." That was all Dean said to describe the fairies.

"I am glad, then," said Gadreel. "It must be true that Cas found you."

"Yeah, he did!"

Dean had to laugh at that. The event that had changed their lives in the beginning—the wicked storm that pulled him away from his lover—had been dwarfed incredibly so by everything else that followed his rescue. It didn't even matter now. He barely cared that he had almost died and how Cas and the angel baby risked everything to find it. That was nothing now! It was a small, casual tale compared to finding his brother, learning his origin, seeing the city!B ut now was not the time to explain this to Gadreel.

"I thought you were with a travelling herd now?" asked Dean.

"We were," said Gadreel, "But we heard word from others that people were returning to a settlement within the Valley."

Dean flared his nostrils. "Seriously?"

"That is a rumor that we agreed is worth investigating. So now, Gabriel, Tessa and I are returning to our home territory in the hopes of settling once more."

"So Tessa made it out all right?"

"Yes."

"They in the wagon?"

"Indeed. With the children."

"Right! Your eggs must have hatched by now."

Gadreel smiled fondly. " _Indeed_. Would you like to stop and have a meal with us?"

Dean looked to Sam, who nodded. "Sure."

"We have adopted many of your meat-eating habits."

"Oh, yeah?"

Gadreel got up and stepped off of the wagon. "Yes," he said. Sam and Dean got down, too. "Though we haven't attempted much hunting, when we find travelers that sell meat we always buy it…Gabriel? Would you wake up, please?"

"Urrrgh…"

A grumble within the wagon made it shake and soon came the beta Dean hadn't seen since before the storm carried him away. There was a baby in both of his arms. He paused when he saw Dean there.

"Woah. Heeey…Dean?"

"Hi, Gabe," Dean said rather casually.

"Where's Cas?"

"Back in the forest. He's fine."

"And, uh, who's the tall guy?"

"This is Sam. He's my brother."

Gadreel had busied himself with getting supplies from the wagon to set up a fire, but when he heard Sam's proper introduction, he stopped and turned to look at them. "I did not know you had a brother," he said. Dean chuckled.

"Yeah, well, neither did I."

"I beg your pardon?"

Sam gave a slight shrug. "It's a long story," he said, and Dean was thankful that he was able to stop there.

"Didn't you have four eggs?" Dean asked, putting his focus back onto Gabe.

"Yeah, the other two are in the wagon still. They're a _handful_. Ugh!"

Gadreel shook his head. "They aren't that bad."

"Easy for you to say!" his beta teased. "They don't suck your tits and you're always up at the front of the wagon!"

"Enough…help me with this."

Gabe and his mate worked together and got a fire going, then made a stew with dried fish. Sam and Dean offered to help but they insisted that they sit and rest instead.

"Where are you heading towards?" Gadreel asked, stirring their cauldron. Gabe was nursing the babies.

"The Realm of Azazel."

Gadreel narrowed his eyes. "That is the lands towards the west, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Why would you go there?"

"Another long story," Dean sighed. "We have some pretty serious business to get done."

"Ah. The unusual clothes was suggest such a thing. I'm sorry to hear this, but I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks."

Once the food was ready, Gabe went into the wagon to get the remaining babies and also bring out Tessa. She had only one baby now. It was held close to her chest as she came down from the wagon and took feeble steps towards a spot to sit. She refused to look at Dean.

"Hey…Tessa?" Dean tried to engage her but she wouldn't speak. "What's wrong?"

Despite being busy with four babies, Gabe was eating loud and happily. He acted as if nothing was unusual. "Hasn't said anything since she lost the other one."

Gadreel handed her a bowl of stew and she took it weakly, then immediately set it down so that she could keep holding her baby with two hands. It was sleeping peacefully. Dean watched her.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Sam. "My mate and I had troubles, too."

"You did?" asked Dean, looking surprised. He sucked broth from his thumb and shifted his weight towards his brother.

"Yeah," Sam said with a small nod. Tessa was still staring at her child. "Her clutch _had_ four eggs, but one of them never hatched."

"Seriously? Even though, uh, she's…you know."

Sam inhaled sharply and glanced around. "Yes. It just never made it. I don't know what went wrong. They say it can happen."

"I am sorry," Gadreel said now, his smooth voice interrupting the brothers. "Gabriel and I are incredibly lucky."

"You are," said Sam.

After they finished eating, Tessa returned to the wagon silently. Sam and Dean insisted on helping with clean up and Gadreel would at least allow that. Dean was feeling bitter about Tessa's loss. He had seen the first egg die when the river carried it away, but knowing that something else happened to another made him so sad.

"What happened?" he asked Gadreel, once Tessa was far enough away that she couldn't hear. Gabe had gone back in, too, to put the babies to sleep.

"She left the Valley with two eggs, as you know, and they remained as such for a while. We had joined the group of travelers. Keeping all of the eggs safe was easy. The travelers were good to us but they neglected to teach us one thing—the egg snatchers."

"The what?"

"Egg snatchers. There are creatures that live out in the plains, similar to a beaver or a groundhog only much larger. They hide in grass and water and if you leave your eggs unattended, they'll…" Gadreel's voice faded here. Dean and Sam shared a look of horror.

"I've never heard of something like that," said Sam.

"Me neither," Dean added, grimacing.

Gadreel pressed his eyes closed tight for a moment then, seemingly to collect himself, let out a long breath and simply said, "Gabriel and I are fortunate. But, Dean, Sam—on an unrelated note, would you like to set up camp with us here tonight?"

Dean shook his head. "We gotta make better time. I'm sorry."

"Thanks for the offer," said Sam.

"The sooner we get done what he have to, the sooner we'll be home with our mates."

"I understand," said Gadreel. He smiled at Dean. "It was most pleasurable to run into you again. I am glad that you and Castiel are well."

"Same to you, Gadreel," Dean smirked. "I hope you get back to the Valley and that works out for you."

"Many thanks. Sam? It was an honor to meet you. You have a noble brother."

"I do," Sam chuckled. "Thanks. It was nice meeting you, too."

Gadreel and his people were going to spend the night there anyway, so they kept the fire roaring and were still active as night went on, but Sam and Dean were going to leave. Before Dean got back into his own wagon, he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Eh?"

He turned and saw that Tessa was standing there, staring at him urgently.

"Hey…what's up?"

Tessa's lower lip wiggled and her eyes begin to fill with tears. Her baby slept peacefully against her body.

"Tessa?"

"I'm sorry!"

Her voice was cracked and bitter, being strained from her throat painfully. Dean stared at her, brow wrinkled with concern. "Sorry for what?"

"Making you come back for me," she muttered quickly. "You should've kept going…"

"What? You mean back in the Valley?" Tessa nodded. "Don't worry about it. Everything worked out for me. It was worth saving your life."

"Yeah, but…"

The woman's body trembled. She repositioned her arms around her baby as if to keep them safer. Dean felt bad.

"I'm so sorry about that, Tessa," he whispered. "I'm sorry you lost the eggs…and your mate. I really am. I wish there was something I could do to make things better."

Tessa shook her head. "I-it's okay. I know. I'm just—sorry I caused so much trouble."

"You didn't."

She fixed her eyes onto Dean's again. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Would you…" Her voice faded. She bit her lower lip and leaned closer to Dean.

"Huh?"

"Would you give me another clutch?"

" _What?!_ "

Then, upon seeing Dean's reaction, her face flushed bright red and she turned away. "I'm sorry!" she whimpered. "I just thought that—maybe! Forget it! I'm sorry!"

Dean forced himself to laugh. "G-good joke!" he said, laughing louder. "Real funny. Always good to laugh when times are hard, yeah?" He nudged her on the shoulder.

Tessa turned back around and smiled weakly. She said nothing. Dean kept smiling. "Don't worry about it," he whispered. "Sam and I are gonna go now. Take care of yourself."

Tessa did not reply but she kept looking at Dean as he returned to the wagon. Sam was going to steer while Dean got some sleep now. He settled into the nest in the back and groaned. All of the trauma in Tessa's life must have caught up to her—he wasn't going to worry about what she asked. But still…Dean had to hold onto the necklace that Cas made him to get any bad thoughts out of his head.


	37. Chapter 37

The days of travel that followed were exactly as Sam and Dean had predicted—long, boring stretches of grassy prairies beneath the hot sun or the cool moon. They had to stop more often than they would have liked to since the horses needed to rest. The only nice aspect of that was how in the morning, both of the brothers would be rested and they could talk to each other at great length. Their relationship was growing quite close.

There came a turn in the terrain eventually. First came a heavy fog. It engulfed the area and made it difficult to see what was in front of them. Dean thought it might have been a low cloud (something that happened every so often back when he lived in the plains with his pack) but it was too large and still to be a natural force.

This fog masked the sun and made it difficult to tell how far along in the day they were. All that could be seen was an eerie greenish light that made the entire swath of fog glow, regardless of the sun's placement. For a man like Dean, who relied so much on the subtle cues of nature, this was terribly disorienting.

Next, there was a devastating absence of life. While they had traveled through the grasslands, small critters were endless. Sam and Dean had been able to hunt for food and be well fed, but now there was nothing of the sort. No plants, either. The ground slowly turned into gravel and pebbles with larger rocks occasionally dotting the hazy landscape. Sam noted that they were progressively getting higher. He had a feeling that beyond the fog, there were large mountains.

Dean's sleep grew restless. He would toss and turn constantly, unable to get much more than a few minutes of being asleep. Every time he finally settled, those bright yellow eyes of Azazel would startle him awake. He didn't tell Sam.

A final change to the scenery occurred when they came into a small town. The bottom of the fog lifted just enough that they could navigate the area with somewhat ease, resting on the rooftops like a heavy, foreboding blanket.

The town was quite large with many houses, inns, workshops and farm spaces. Carts lined the streets and everything appeared to be well populated except for one thing—it was covered in a sticky, cobweb like mold. Nothing moved. All was silent.

The men stopped their wagon in the middle of the town and got off to explore. Sam warned Dean not to touch the mold since they didn't know what it was or what it could do.

"It's everywhere," said Sam.

"Oh, jeez," said Dean, "Look at that." He pointed to a skeleton that was trapped between a layer of mold and a house. He felt a sick twinge in his legs when he saw there were tiny, thin bones on the back that would be the perfect frame work for wings. "They're fairies."

"We must be in Avalon," said Sam. Dean had expected him to be more horrified, since the fairies were the closest thing he had to parents, but instead his face was stoic and he walked back to the wagon. "We need to rest."

"Is it safe to do that here?" asked Dean.

"Do we have any other choice?"

"Yeah, fair enough. Okay."

Dean hesitated but then got into the wagon. They made up their nests and did their best to settle and sleep. The sun was somewhere far away and the infected town was mostly dark. Sam fell asleep instantly but Dean was not as lucky; he closed his eyes, heart pounding, but turned over several times. His back ached. He could hear the horses whinny softly as they went to sleep, too. The town was creepily quiet. His head was too heavy and hot. He turned again and let out a grunt of despair, but then he yawned and eventually sleep overtook him.

"Dean, Dean, Dean…"

"Huh?!"

Dean saw the yellow eyes staring at him. There was a voice, too. It was icy.

"Good of you to stop by," it said, amused by something evil no doubt.

Dean flexed his fingers and moved his arms. It felt as if he were awake, though he knew in his heart that he was still asleep in the wagon. He tried to blink his eyes and look away from the yellow ones. A room appeared around him. It was small and made of stone.

"Glad you made it close enough," the creepy voice continued. Dean looked right at it and saw that the yellow eyes had a body now—just a man. He was older, well dressed and sitting back in a chair. A grin sat beneath the glowing yellow eyes.

"Lord Azazel, I presume?"

"Smart kid," said Azazel. He stood up and Dean held his breath. "Relax. You aren't _really_ in my lair. It's just telepathy."

"Just what?"

Azazel sighed. "Guess he's not that smart after all."

"What!"

"Enough."

"What's the point of this?"

"I just wanted to get a good look at you," said the lord. He eyed Dean from top to bottom. "I think, after you come and try to fight me and I obviously win, I'll turn your skin into a rug. What do you think about that?"

Dean tightened his jaw. "I think I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Azazel laughed. He laughed so hard that he had to hold his stomach. "Damn, Dean! You're a regular comedian!"

"A what?!"

"Aah, never mind. Listen. I'll cut you a deal."

" _Never_ ," Dean hissed.

"Really? Don't you at least want to hear what it is first?"

"No. Fuck yourself. Get out of my head."

Azazel gave a short sigh. "Suit yourself."

POP!

Dean heard a loud noise in his ears and he shot awake, sweat dripping down his head and his heart racing a mile a minute.

"You okay, man?"

"What! Oh, it's just you. Sorry."

Sam looked at his brother suspiciously. "Bad dream?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, real bad. But don't worry about it. Any idea how long we slept?"

"A full night. I _think_."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "No kidding?"

"Fog's lighter now so I'd say that sun is coming up."

"Holy crap."

Dean was impressed at how long he was out, but that also made him wonder how long Lord Azazel was _in_.

"Here."

Sam tossed his brother a small chunk of dried meat. Their rations were starting to run low since there was nothing to hunt or forage anymore. They hadn't addressed their overwhelming anxiety about it.

"Maybe now would be a good time to look through King Ash's supply bag," said Sam.

"Yeah, and we might want to get suited up for whatever might happen next."

"That makes sense."

After eating, the men got out of the wagon and took a few moments to get into their fairy armor. Dean struggled at first but then Sam was able to help, leaving the eldest to wonder how Sam knew about donning armor. Now wasn't the time to worry about such things, though, so he shrugged it off and attached his scabbard to his waist.

"Herbs to send light beacons, remember?" Sam asked Dean, taking out a few small bags. "We should each hold onto some, just in case."

"Sure," said Dean. He took a handful and put them in a pack beneath his armor. Sam lifted the clay urn from their supplies.

"Oil to keep the evil spirits away. Do you suppose there are evil spirits here?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't think anything is alive here. Not even ghosts."

Sam thinned his lips. He wanted to point out how stupid that sounded, but once more, now wasn't the time.

"Let's just be safe," Sam declared. He poured some oil onto his fingers and dabbed it on his neck. Dean did the same. It had a fresh, cool sensation to it but nothing more.

"Excuse me!"

Suddenly, the brothers heard a woman's voice and they both jumped, immediately drawing their weapons and turning towards the source of the sound. There came a lady with shabby clothes and many marks of a hard travel. Her brown hair was messy and full of twigs.

"Who are you!?" Dean shouted, showing his sword.

"Just a hunter," the woman sighed. She had a smooth accent to her voice. "Who are you?"

Dean and Sam exchanged a cautious look.

"Travelers," said Sam. He relaxed the grip on his blade somewhat though Dean remained on the defensive. "What's a hunter doing here?"

"Lord Azazel took the rest of my pack," said the woman, looking hurt. "I was the lucky one, and I'm going to save the rest of my people."

"Damn," said Dean. "I didn't know he kidnapped folks."

"He does _everything_ ," the woman continued, walking closer now and speaking in a softer voice as if Azazel could hear. "He's on a mad rampage for all kinds of creatures. You two had better be careful!"

"Well, actually," Dean began, trying to pump himself up to look courageous, "We're going to kill him."

"Kill him?" the woman whispered. "You can't kill him!"

"Sure we can. And I'm gonna."

"But you don't know about…do you…do you know how?"

Dean shrugged. "We'll figure it out."

"Oh, but there's only one way! Do you know?"

"It sounds like _you_ do. What is it?"

The woman cleared her throat. "It's not safe to talk about that here. But if we're both going to find him, we should travel together."

Dean looked over at Sam, who was shaking his head. He didn't need Sam to tell him that it was foolish to trust a stranger in a dangerous land, but it helped to reassure him.

"Sorry," said Dean. "Can't take any risks here."

"But I'm a hunter!"

"Yeah, and?"

The woman folded her arms. "Could I at least follow you? Is there _any_ possibility that I can prove myself to you?"

Dean looked at his brother again. He shrugged.

"Okay, fine," said Dean. He rolled his eyes. "You can follow us. And if you can 'prove yourself' we'll allow you to join us."

"Oh, I will! Don't worry about that." The woman smiled brightly now. She called behind her and a rich, auburn horse came from behind one of the moldy houses. She mounted him and lined up with the wagon. "What are your names, by the way?" she called.

"I'm Dean and this is Sam."

"Nice to meet you two. Call me Bela."

* * *

Back in the forest of Arkhmoor, Cas had been struggling to deal with his partner leaving. The angel baby had grown quite fussy since Dean had gone and that did not help the situation.

"Shh, it's okay, please…"

Cas was standing outside of Ruby's house in the middle of the day with the baby in his arms. The infant cried and cried no matter what Cas did. He wouldn't nurse, he wouldn't sleep.

"Hey, Cas, having trouble?"

Meg came up to him with a smile on her face. It wasn't unusual for her and Charlie to spend most of the day at Ruby's house. Everyone had eggs or babies so they could share the burden easily.

"Yes," Cas mumbled, staring at the baby in his arms. "He hasn't stopped. I can barely tolerate it."

"Sorry to hear that," said Meg. "We're lucky that ours are still eggs. Heh heh."

"Mmh."

It was hard for Cas to show any emotions other than exhausted and irritated. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and he hunched slightly around the baby.

"Where are _your_ eggs?" Meg asked.

"Ruby is with them," Cas grouched.

"Ah, lighten up, Cas. Everything's gonna be all right."

Cas sighed. "I don't know. I can't say that for sure."

Meg opened her arms. "Want me to hold him? I'll try."

"Thank you."

He handed the bundle of winged baby over to the alpha female then exhaled in relief. Though he wouldn't take his eyes off of Meg, simply being away from the baby made him feel better.

"It's not that I don't love my baby—I do—but…on top of Dean and everything else, it's almost impossible."

"I get it."

Meg rocked the baby gently, though it did no good. He kept crying and crying. His little face was all scrunched up and bright red. Cas tightened his jaw.

"Isn't there fairy magic for this?"

"Prob'ly," said Meg. "I'll go ask Charlie. Do you want him back?"

"We can go together."

"Sure."

They walked down one of the toe paths in the forest and wound around to the house that Meg and Charlie were building. Right now it was little more than a stack of logs with a roof made of woven reeds. Charlie was sitting in a nest with the eggs in her lap.

"Hi!" she called out when her mate came back. "Oh, Cas' baby? What's wrong?"

Meg and Cas came into the makeshift house with the crying baby. Cas touched a finger to his forehead and rubbed in the hopes of stopping his apparent headache. It did no good.

"Is there anything your folk know about that can help the baby not cry?" Meg asked.

"Er, yeah. Of course. Hold on…"

Charlie stood up carefully and went to a wooden chest they had against one of the walls. She opened one drawer and pawed through several small bags of herbs, then reached into one and rubbed the dried plant between her palms. Meg came closer with the baby.

"Try this," said Charlie. She dabbed her index finger in the crushed herbs then touched it to the center of the baby's forehead. His crying continued momentarily but drastically weakened. He was able to open his eyes and the redness left his skin.

"Oh!" Cas exclaimed, smiling at last. "It really helped!"

Meg gave a chuckle and handed the baby back to his mother, who received him happily. He kissed his face and snuggled him close.

"Don't be afraid to ask, okay?" Meg said, smirking.


	38. Chapter 38

The moldy town that Sam, Dean and now Bela were traveling through ended up being more of a city. Beneath the heavy fog, the rotten houses extended as far as they could see. Streets, alleys and a billion different pathways had once cut between the buildings, but the mold covered all of those roads and the only way that remained was the trodden path their wagon continued on. Even by the time they settled for the evening, there was no end to the village in sight.

Sam and Dean were suspicious of Bela, understandably so. They built a small fire and gave the horses some hay while they made a sad dinner for themselves. Still no sign of game to hunt or vegetation to forage. Dean attempted to stew dried meat with a bit of spices. It smelled bland. He stirred it with a wooden spoon and sighed continuously.

"It's not going to taste any better if you keep acting like that," said Sam, smiling just slightly. He was seating with his legs crossed and hands against the fire. The world had grown quite cold at night.

"Yeah, I know, but…" Dean's eyes fell to Bela, who was sitting a good distance away from them and eating who knows what from a sack. "Should we ask her if she wants to use the fire?"

Sam frowned. "Can we trust her to get that close?"

"Only one way to find out. Watch the stew."

Dean kept his sword handy as he got up and wandered over to the woman. "Hey, do you uh, wanna come sit by the fire with us?"

Bela perked up and stared at Dean, eyes wide and clearly surprised by his offer. "Oh? Really?"

"Yeah, sure. Come on over."

"Thank so very much!"

She picked up her things and followed Dean back, where she then took a seat on the dusty grown and opened her hands to the fire. "Ah, it's nice and warm."

"Yep."

The brothers exchanged a watchful glance, silently telling each other to keep their guards up.

"So, Bela," Sam began, stirring the stew casually, "Do you know how far from Azazel's lair we are?"

"A day or two, I think," she said. Her nostrils flared. "Mm. That smells incredible."

Sam found that hard to believe. It was a crappy stew with hardly any substance to it. Then it occurred to him that she might not have had proper food for a long time. His face softened at the thought.

"Do you want some?"

Bela gasped. "Really?"

Dean let out a small laugh and picked out three bowls from their supplies. "Sure!" he chortled. "We can't save it and there's probably too much. Is it almost done, Sam?"

"Yeah."

A few more stirs and Sam then took great portions of the stew in his spoon and dished it out into the bowls. Dean handed the first one to Bela, who was overly excited to be served.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed. "This is incredible! I am truly grateful for your hospitality."

"Ah, it's nothin'," said Dean. He had his bowl now and casually sat back to sip from it. Unfortunately, it didn't taste as good as Bela made it out to.

"When was the last time you had a warm meal?" Sam asked her now, speaking in a soft voice. He tried to hide his dissatisfaction with the food.

"Weeks," said Bela. She gave a heavy sigh. "I haven't had anything but seeds and grains in the longest time."

"Eat up," said Dean.

"Thank you so much, the two of you men," Bela said with a smile. She slurped down more stew then served herself some more. Sam and Dean were hesitant for seconds. "Don't let me eat it all. You need your strength to face Lord Azazel."

Dean grimaced at the thought. Right…Azazel.

"Bela," he started, shifting uneasily, "Do you think, maybe…do you know anything about—"

He paused in the middle of this sentence as his face froze, staring just over the woman's shoulder. Sam looked at Dean. "What? What is it?"

Dean's eyes, wide and startled, remained fixed. "Don't…know…" he whispered.

There was movement within the mold behind them. It was covering the porch of an old house. Dean could see two figures shuffling about beneath it. Bela snapped her head around to stare at it, and she immediately put her stew down and stood up.

"What is it?" Sam asked again, quite desperate for answers at this point.

"Demons, I think," Bela said.

"Demons?!"

As if summoned by the word, the mold ripped open and two people jumped out. They were dressed in rugged rags and furs, with messy hair and crooked teeth. All in all, they looked like normal people, except their eyes were solid black. They charged the campfire like rabid dogs. Dean jumped up and grabbed his sword, as did Sam. He took a swing at one of the demons as it neared him, but it dodged out of the way. They tried this several more times. The demons moved faster than a human could.

"DAMN IT!" Dean cursed. "HOW DO WE—WHAT DO WE—"

" _Zamran qting coronzon!"_

Bela's voice was loud and clear. She spoke in an unrecognizable tongue, slapping her palm over one of the demon's faces. It froze in its tracks and suddenly a great cloud of black burst from its mouth, shooting high into the air where it quickly disappeared into the thick fog above them. Sam and Dean stopped. Bela knew what she was doing.

" _Zamran qting coronzon!_ "

Again, with the second demon, she repeated her actions and another black cloud went into the sky. She then sat down, exhausted.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean asked, putting his sword away. He went to Bela's side. "You okay?"

"I'm quite fine, thank you," said Bela. She gave Dean a small smile. "And those were demons. Servants of Azazel. You won't be able to kill them with any ordinary blade, but that spell takes care of them."

Dean looked over his shoulder at Sam and nodded. His brother returned the gesture.

"Maybe we misjudged you," said Dean. "You definitely know what you're doing here. If we hadn't found you, we might be dead. You don't have to tail behind us anymore. Why don't you join our wagon?"

Bela smirked. "A kind and great honor," she said. "It's much appreciated."

So Bela joined the men in their wagon. She tied her horse to the front and put her belongings in the back, setting up a nest for herself with a few blankets. The encounter with the demons certainly changed Sam and Dean's perspective on the journey, especially Dean. Now, as night fell, he was scared to sleep. They were so close to Azazel's lair. What sort of visions or dreams could he have now?

"What's the matter, Dean?" Bela asked. Sam was steering the wagon alone while Dean originally intended to get sleep, but his running mind was making it impossible.

"It's just…this whole thing is finally going to happen. I'm gonna face Azazel. It's kinda freaking me out. Can't sleep."

"Oh, I understand," said Bela. "You know, I have something that will help you fall asleep. Would you like to try it?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "What, like an herb?"

"Mm. Exactly." She fumbled into her supply bag and brought out a small leather pouch. "It's safe. Do you want to try?"

"I'm pretty desperate at this point. Sure."

Bela smiled bigger and took a pinch of powder from the bag. It was so fine that Dean could barely even see it. "Here, Dean, come here."

He leaned over to her hand, and she thrust the powder up his nose. It immediately choked him and he coughed loudly. "D-Damn! What the he-ell is thi-is?!" But before he could really get an idea of what was happening, he fell backwards into the blankets, fast asleep.

"Excellent," Bela whispered to herself. She stood up and walked through the wagon until she reached the front, where she grabbed another, bigger pinch of powder and slowly went behind Sam. Careful to stay quiet, she waited for the perfect moment to thrust her arms around him and toss the powder into his face.

"WHAA!"

Sam gasped, startling at first, but then he passed out. The horses kept going and Bela grabbed the reigns. "Sleep for now," she whispered.

* * *

"Uhh…"

Sam's head was pounding. His lips were dry. His body was cold. The wagon was gone and he was resting on his back upon a stone floor. Sitting up and looking around, the room was too dark to see any details.

"Hello?"

His voice barely travelled, so it must have been fairly small. He got on his hands and knees and crawled the perimeter. Yes, it was indeed a small room. The walls were also stone, just as cold and lonely as the floor. He used one to stand up and was glad that the ceiling was high enough that he could.

"Hello?" he called again. "Dean? Bela?"

Thinking fast, he deduced that if he had somehow gotten _into_ the room, then it was certainly possible to get out. He began searching for a door. None of the four walls provided any sort of distinguishing feature, so tried reaching up to the ceiling. Lucky for him, he was a very tall man and his arms were just barely long enough to touch the overhead stone. He started in one corner and, keeping his arms high, slowly scanned along the ceiling for any changes.

When he reached what felt like the center, he found a few small bumps. Standing on his toes, he could push them in. The bumps could not have been stone. He wasn't sure how they were there, but they were somewhat soft and could be pressed. This made a clicking sound.

"Oh?"

Then came a strange, low grinding noise, like rock being slid over another. He froze, hoping that nothing was going to crush him. Instead, a slot of light appeared right above him and gradually got longer and longer. A door overhead was opening. Since he had been in the dark for some time now, it was incredibly blinding. Either way, he jumped up, grabbed the ledge and pulled himself out.

Once his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a long hallway. Torches here and there kept it lit. He was able to close the door behind him by dragging it in place, then he set off in one direction to find some answers.

As he walked, he realized that there were more variations in the stone floor just like the door he had crawled out of. He wondered if others were trapped down there. Maybe Dean? The circumstances were so mysterious that he couldn't leave without checking.

There were five stone doors. Four were empty, including his own, but when he reached the last one, a voice called out.

"H-Hello…?"

It was faint and weak, like an elderly woman. Sam looked down into the cell but couldn't see very well. He took one of the torches from the wall and shone the light into it.

"Aah!"

The voice cried out when the light entered the cell, but it was good for Sam since he could see where they were. She was an old, starving woman huddled in one corner.

"Who are you?" Sam called down.

"I don't know anymore…"

Sam decided to jump down there. She cowered more from the light.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Sam. I don't know where I am or how I got here. Do you know?"

"Lord Azazel's lair," the woman explained, shaking. Her head turned to Sam weakly and he saw that her eyes were mostly blind. "He keeps prisoners here sometimes, but…for me? It has been most of my life."

"Then let's get you out of here."

"No, no!"

"What? Why not?"

"My legs won't work anymore."

"I'll carry you."

"Where will you take me?"

"I don't know," Sam sighed. "Where do you need to go? Where are you from?"

"I can't remember anymore. It has been too long."

Sam's heart was breaking. It seemed there was little he could do.

"My good man," the woman said now, showing a small smile, "Please do not worry. I have been rotting down here for a long time. It's comfort enough that someone has tried."

"I…but, still."

"No, please do not worry," she reassured him. "Are you here to destroy Azazel?"

"My brother, but I don't know where he is now."

"Then…then you can find the dark lord, I am sure. You know, there is but one way to destroy him."

"We were actually wondering about that," Sam said, speaking softer now as if someone might overhear.

"There is a mirror hidden in his chambers. He won't want anyone to find it, but…that mirror has the ability to send him back to the dimension that he came from."

Sam's eyes widened. "The what?"

"The dimension that he came from."

"How do you know all of this?"

The old woman coughed. "I have been here long enough to hear small pieces of information…but go, now. Time is of the essence. Do not worry of me."

Sam hesitated. He couldn't stand the idea of leaving a sick, old woman to die alone, but he had no other choice. If Dean was around anywhere, he would have to be found and be told about the mirror!

Sam climbed out of the cell, slid the door shut and went on his way. He left the torch in the hall so he wouldn't be seen as well.

Outside of the initial chamber, Sam found himself in a stairwell. It was darker than dark with no torches to see, but he groped around and managed to ascend the stairs. How would he find the dark lord? How would he find Dean? There was certainly a way, he just had to figure it out.

Another lucky streak, as the stairs took him to a high floor. There were windows. He looked out of one and saw nothing but fog, but there was enough light that he could see the rooms around him. He was standing in another hall. It was lined with open windows and a chill breeze blew across the floor. At the end of the hallway stood the only exit; double doors that nearly called out to him. He approached with caution. The closer he got, he could hear voices. Dean's voice!

" _This was a fuckin' set up!_ " his brother cursed from within. " _All of it was a damned trap!_ "

Was it the best tactic to go straight through the doors? Dean was in trouble, no doubt, but Sam might want a stealthier way of getting in. He took a deep breath and looked out the last window, closest to the doors. He could see that the room beyond the doors must have been round, since the wall arched out and ran close to the window. There was a ledge along it, too, with windows that went into the room where Dean now was.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this," Sam thought. He swallowed all of his fear and, ever so carefully, hopped onto the windowsill. He then leaned over and grabbed a hold of the ledge. He had to use all of his upper body strength to pull himself up, but thankfully he was able to keep his feet on the first window. The fog masked how far of a fall he would have if he slipped, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't survive it.

Once he pulled up onto the ledge, he was able to get inside the next window. He feared that it might go straight into the heart of danger, but he got lucky—again—and was in a tiny, vacant chamber. It was dark except for the light from the window.

There was a thin door on the opposite wall, cluttered by many crates and bins of all sorts of crap. Sam stepped around it carefully. Stacks of paintings were propped up against the walls. This seemed to be a storing room. Sure to make no sound, Sam looked around and investigated everything he could. There was one sole painting up against the wall, and it visually stuck out at him, so he went over to it and moved it to the side. Surprise, surprise, yet another door was behind it. Taking the risk, he opened it and pressed on through.

This room was bizarre. One side was a wall and the other was a _curtain_. The room was quite narrow. Sam walked down it carefully. The curtain was a little taller than him. "What could this be?" he thought to himself. Then, halfway through the room, he figured it out.

Against the wall was a mirror.

"You son of a bitch!"

Dean's voice yelled again. Sam must have been inside the main room, only behind the curtain. He wondered what that big room looked like.

"Very clever, Dean. Very clever." It was Azazel's voice. Though Sam didn't recognize it, he could assume.

"He thinks he's smart."

Sam froze. A tingling sensation went up his spine. That was _Bela's_ voice. They _had_ been tricked!

"Yeah, well, joke's on you, buddy!" Dean called out now. "'Cause I know your secret and I'll kick your ass!"

"My secret?" Azazel laughed. "What secret?"

"This!"

There was a slapping sound, and Dean yelled, " _Zamran qting coronzon!_ "

Then it all fell quiet. Sam tried to focus on the mirror and not the conversation outside. He ran his fingers along the golden frame, wondering if there was a trick to open the dimension.

"WAAAHAAHAH!" Azazel's laughter filled the room, piercing Sam's ears. "You fucking idiot! That doesn't _kill_ demons, it just exorcizes them! And you can't exorcize me, you moron!"

Then, the sound of physical combat. Dean grunted and groaned as swords clinked. There were thuds and thumps, clatters and shatters. Then a loud smash and Dean cried out in agony. Sam couldn't bare it anymore. He had to jump in!

He leaped through the curtain and straight into the main room. It was cold and small, with a nasty-looking throne on one side. Bela stood next to it, but Azazel was on the other side, near the doors. Dean was on the floor, bleeding from the face.

"STOP!" Sam called out. Both Bela and Azazel turned immediately, completely shocked by the brother's appearance.

"What?!" Bela gasped. "How!"

"I thought you locked him away," Azazel hissed to Bela.

"I did!"

Sam folded his arms. "You did," He said, smirking, "But you forgot how tall I am."

"Blast!"

Azazel shook his head. "Don't worry, this is easily solved." He picked up Dean's sword, which had fallen to the floor, and suddenly charged Sam with it.

"Heeey!" Sam yelled. He dashed out of the way, but also closer to where the mirror was behind the curtain.

"Oh, clever boy!" Azazel taunted. "Don't worry, I can keep this up all day!"

He charged again and Sam ducked. Azazel swung and he dodged. They played like this for a few minutes, all the while Dean watched in great agony. But then, just as they were lining up with the mirror, Azazel swung the sword and managed to get a hit. He jabbed Sam in the side.

"SAM!" Dean called out.

Sam sputtered. He fell to his knees.

"Easy," said Azazel. "Too easy."

"SAM!"

Through his pain, he managed to get up and run to Azazel. Fire burned in his eyes.

"NOT MY BROTHER!" he yelled.

He pushed Azazel so hard that the opening in the curtains parted and he went right for the mirror. Instead of hitting the glass, he was swallowed up. A vacuum was suddenly created and Dean, too, was pulled in. He was able to grab Sam's arm and drag him into the suction, too.


	39. Chapter 39

Cas was adjusted to life without Dean fairly well. The combined effort from the fairies was helpful, since they loved working together and were more than happy to lend a hand when needed. His baby was growing well, drinking lots of milk, fussing considerably less and was even smiling. The eggs were also safe and healthy.

"See? You just open up the pod and pull out the seed."

Ruby had brought home a bunch of spiky pods from deep in the woods and was now showing Cas how to prepare them.

"Like this?" Cas asked, doing as she said. A triangular seed popped out from the center.

"Yep, just like that."

"And then what?"

"We'll take them all out and then crush them to make flour."

"Make a flower?!"

Cas' eyes widened and Ruby laughed. "No, no, you'll see. Just watch."

They worked to get all of the seeds out, and then Ruby put them in a bowl. She took a stone tool and began crushing them up. At this point, her three children gathered around to watch.

"I don't understand how this will be a flower."

"Not a flower, _flour_. You know those spongy things we baked in the oven the other day?"

"Yes."

"That was made with flour."

"Hmm…"

"It makes sense. Trust me."

"I will."

Cas watched apprehensively for a while until he heard his baby start to cry. "Oh, no…not again!" He got up swiftly and went to the crib, where he picked up the baby and rocked him in his arms. "Shh…it's all right. You'll be fine."

The baby kept fussing. This was no ordinary crying, though, and Cas realized it soon enough. Ruby did, too. She halted the seed grinding and came to Cas' side in an instant.

"That sounds like he's in pain!" she said, looking urgent. Cas' forehead scrunched up.

"It does. But where? How? What do we do?"

"Let me see him."

Cas handed the baby over to Ruby, who looked him over. As he faced the fairy, Cas noticed that his little wings looked off.

"Aah!" Cas gasped. "What's happened to his wings?!"

They were turning black and curling up small. Cas began to panic. Ruby wasn't sure what to do, either. The baby kept crying. Cas touched one of the wings and it fell to the floor.

"Oh, no, no!"

The other soon did the same without any help. And just like that, the baby stopped crying. The room fell silent. He wiggled his lips and stared at Ruby, who was speechless.

"Baby?" Cas asked softly, opening his hands to take him back. Ruby handed him over silently. Cas sat down and put the baby in his lap so he could look him over carefully. His back was entirely smooth.

"Is he okay?" asked Ruby.

"I believe so…but what does this mean?" He looked at Ruby with sad eyes. "Now I am very worried about Dean."

* * *

Light…

Warmth…

Peace…

Music…

With his eyes closed, Dean heard the sound of an orgel playing. It was both far away yet everywhere at the same time. He rested with the music in his ears for what felt like months. All was calm. All was pleasant.

Then he remembered Sam and Cas. His body flooded with the pain that Lord Azazel had inflicted upon him. Blood was running down his face.

"Tchh…"

Wincing, he tried to open his eyes and sit up. Where was the dark lord, now? Where was his brother?

"Sam?"

His voice echoed in great ripples. As his adjusted his vision to the warm light that surrounded him, he saw that he was sitting in a large hall. It looked so much like the great hall back in Lawrence that he thought he was there again. It was too big, though. The ceiling was twice as high, and the colors were different. Instead of cold stone, the walls were made of a smooth, white rock. The floors were tiled with creamy marble, swirled with glittering ribbons of gold flake. To each of his sides, Dean saw stained-glass windows with elaborate pictures in full, brilliant color. They seemed to tell stories from a time long before Dean or his ancestors.

"Hello?"

Finally, there came footsteps. They were slow and soft. Dean turned in the direction of them and saw a short man walking towards him. He had graying hair and was dressed in oddly well-made clothes.

"Hey," the stranger said.

Dean, who was still sitting on the floor and enduring pain from Azazel's blows, glared at the man. "Where the hell am I?" he asked.

"Safe," said the man. He smiled weakly and continued to approach.

"Where's my brother?"

"Sam's fine. He's healing. Don't worry about him."

"Wha? How do you know his name?"

The man smirked. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and stopped when he got quite close to Dean. "I know you're Dean," he said.

"How?! What's going on?"

"You fell through the sacral mirror," the man explained, "And it brought you here. To my house. I'm Chuck."

Dean froze. His mouth fell open.

" _What?_ You're—YOU— _you're_ Chuck?"

"Yeah."

"No way! Our God isn't just some guy. That's impossible!"

"It's not. I am."

Chuck was so nonchalant about his divinity that it frustrated Dean even more. The mortal man tried to stand up, but his legs hurt so badly that he collapsed.

"Relax," said Chuck. "Sam is healing and now it's your turn."

He extended two fingers to Dean and tried to touch him, but Dean pulled back. "Nu uh!" He shouted. "How can I trust you?"

"Dean," Chuck said, sighing, "I'm your god. If there's anybody you _can_ trust, it's me. Now relax."

He brought his fingers to Dean once more and this time Dean reluctantly allowed him to touch. The moment Chuck made contact, a warm pulse warbled throughout Dean's entirety. His wounds healed. The blood was gone.

"Holy shit," Dean whispered.

Chuck laughed. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Wait, okay, hold on." Feeling great now, Dean stood up with ease. "What's going on here?"

"All right, Dean. I'm going to ask you something and I need you to think about it."

"Sure…"

Chuck's eyes stared at Dean with a deep compassion, something that Dean didn't quite understand. It was an odd look yet strangely comforting. A twinge of pain was in it, too.

"Do you want to know the truth?"

"What truth?" asked Dean.

"All of the truth. Everything."

Dean pressed his lips together. "Yes," he said.

"Are you positive?"

"I am. I want to know."

Chuck kept staring at Dean for a moment, then he turned around and began to walk. "Okay. Follow me."

Dean shrugged to himself and followed the god. He was considerably shorter than Dean and hunched a little. He still found it hard to believe that _this_ was their creator. _This_ was the deity they had been praying to for so long.

Chuck took him through a doorway and down a short hall. It was just as spectacular as the larger one, with more stained glass along the walls.

"You see, Dean," Chuck began, pressing onward, "I know there was an existence before I was your god. Something…somewhere…I existed. I don't know how or why or when or where, but I can sense it. One day, I opened my eyes and I was in a big emptiness. A voice told me, 'create', and so I did. I made the land of Kaz. I made the fairies. I made the people. I made animals and trees and it was great! It really was. But you know what happened?"

Dean shook his head, even though Chuck was in front of him.

"I wanted answers. I wanted to know who I was before I became your god. That was why I built this house—a place isolated from Kaz where I could research and relax without worrying about the humans. I did everything I could to discover the old me, but I failed. I failed so bad…" Chuck stopped walking. They were almost to the end of the hall, where two closed doors sat. He turned and faced Dean again. His face was terribly sad. "Do you want to know what happened?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Dean. "I wanna know everything."

The god took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "The sacral mirror was something I created as a doorway between my realm and Kaz. See, they aren't physically connected. This realm is on another dimension. I hid the mirror in the palace of the fairy king in Avalon. He knew about me and I trusted him to keep it safe."

"Cool," Dean acknowledged weakly.

"It was, but…well…you know how this is a different dimension? Apparently the mirror linked to other dimensions, too. When I figured that out, I really pursued it. I thought maybe I would find the place I came from!"

"So? Did you?"

"No, I never did. But Azazel found _us_. He's not from here, not at all. He came out of the sacral mirror and immediately began to destroy. That mold you saw in old Avalon? That was something he did. He scattered it everywhere and killed all of the fairies."

Dean frowned. "Jeez…but, hey, uh, not to be rude or anything, but since you're God, why didn't you just get rid of Azazel?"

"It's not that easy, Dean. I create but I can't destroy. I can't interfere. I gave humans the law of free will, and they can choose their own destiny. The best I could do was to try and teach people about Azazel." He went to one of the doors now and opened it. "Come."

"Where's this go?"

"To your brother."

Dean followed Chuck into the small room. It was a bedroom, lit by candles. On a soft bed was Sam, fast asleep, and next to him sat a woman. She was fair, with dark hair and large blue eyes.

"Woah. Uh, hi?" said Dean, surprised to see someone else.

"Hello," the woman answered softly.

"Who is this?" asked Dean.

"The second part to my story," said Chuck. "See, Azazel's destruction was so overwhelming and he commanded such great power, that I needed more help of the divine kind. That's when I created the angels."

"Angels…"

"They were twins. A boy and a girl. Positive and negative. Water and fire. They were of the same material but with enough differences to really help me. And they did. This is Hannah, she is the girl."

"Nice to meet you, Hannah," said Dean. "Y'know, I've got a lot of questions about angels."

"I'm sure you do," said Chuck. He turned to Hannah. "Do you wanna tell him the rest?"

Hannah nodded. "Of course," she said, then stood up. "Stay here with Sam. I will show Dean."

"Show me? Show me what?"

Hannah strode out of the room. "Please follow me."

Dean was getting frustrated with all of this follow the leader nonsense, but his curiosity about angels with piqued now and it made it tolerable. Hopefully he was going to learn the nature of his winged child.

Hannah was wearing a long, flowing gown of white. It rippled behind her. Dean did his best to follow without stepping on it.

"In here, please," said Hannah. She gestured her hand and the other door at the end of the hallway opened up. Dean widened his eyes, then followed though. The room was entirely dark, but Hannah glowed softly so Dean could still see her.

"Chuck sent us to Kaz so that we could stop Azazel. We had to work with the humans to find a way. We descended and worked our way across the land, teaching what we could, and learning what we could. It was all quite successful until my twin brother fell in love."

"Wha?"

"He fell in love. He met a man and fell in love. They worked together to stop Azazel, and one day my brother left to fight the dark lord. He managed to injure Azazel greatly, but was unsuccessful."

"So um, what does this have to do with me?"

Hannah's glowing face nodded. "My brother, you see, made a pact with the man he loved. He knew that the man would be important one day, so he bound their souls."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that when the man died, he would be reincarnated into a body that would find my brother again."

"Romantic," Dean said, raising his eyebrows.

"I am not sure, but this is important for you to know. Right now, we stand in the hall that my brother once called his own. This is where he lived, where he studied."

Hannah raised her hand and snapped her fingers. All at once, light flooded into the room. It was tall like the first one, with the same marbled floors and pearly walls, but this room was an octagon. In the center of the room was a statue so grand that it nearly touched the ceiling. Dean looked up at it and gasped. The white marble figure was dressed in a gown like Hannah's, standing gracefully with one hand extending forward. Wings were folded on his back. And his face…

"This was the hall of the brother, the angel Castiel."


	40. Chapter 40

"But…how?"

Dean didn't know how to react. His body locked up and his eyes remained fixed on the statue. It was without a doubt the spitting image of Cas. Hannah, who was not surprisingly unmoved by it all, looked down at her hands which were clasped together. Dean finally turned to her. "Can someone explain what's going on here?"

"Perhaps it would be simpler if I let Castiel himself tell you."

Dean held his breath. "What?"

"Here."

Hannah opened her hands. She raised a finger up to the statue and summoned a gelatinous blue ball, somewhere around the stone face. It hovered down to their level and she held it out to Dean. It was the size of a baseball and wiggled as it were a thin casing around liquid.

"What is that?"

"A collection of memories. Castiel intended them for you."

Dean was even more confused now, if that was possible. His open mouth twisted to form words but none came out. Instead, Hannah lifted the ball up to Dean's head. "Relax."

"Wha?"

The ball opened up atop his head and a warm liquid rushed over his body. He shivered from the strange sensation as it covered every inch of him, somehow staying against his skin. Then his eyes closed without warning. The liquid went into his ears. The sight and sound of the room he had stood in vanished, leaving him in a warm, weird darkness.

"This is a message for you," a familiar voice said. Dean struggled to open his eyes and suddenly saw Cas, wearing a white gown just like the statue, and two beautiful translucent wings on his back.

"Cas?"

"I do not know how you are called now, but surely you are who I believe you to be."

Dean moved out of the way and realized that he was just watching a recording of Cas, since he didn't react to anything he said or did.

"Surely you do not remember me, and I do not remember you, but I assume we have been reunited. I am going to show you who you are and why you are important to me and all of Kaz, but I have a request…" Cas bowed his head. "Please do not tell the current form of me who I am."

Dean couldn't help but answer, "Okay," even though the representation of Cas didn't hear him. He stood his ground in the darkness and listened to Cas carefully.

The angel turned around, and suddenly out of the darkness came an image. It was a small, primitive village. "This is Lawrence before it was called Lawrence. This is where we met. This is…here, please watch."

Dean stepped forward so he could get a better view of the image and Cas's form disappeared. The little town was moving. It grew closer and closer until Dean was standing on the ground. People passed through him. This was just another recorded memory. Cas, the angel with his gown and his wings, suddenly walked into the picture. He was standing straight and walking with urgency. A young woman followed him.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Is Lawrence going to die?"

"I do not know," said Cas.

"But if you are an angel, can't you heal him?"

"Not all matters work in such ways."

Seeing Cas like that was upsetting to Dean. He was so cold, so feelingless. Was that the real Castiel?

"Are you going to see him?" the woman asked.

"Yes. Now."

The angel continued on as the woman walked away. He passed a few houses and went into the biggest one in the village. The furnishes were little more than a table and bed. In the bed was a man. A man who looked remarkably like Dean.

"Lawrence," Cas said, his voice suddenly changing. Dean stepped around and saw the deep love and affection beaming in Cas' eyes that Dean knew so well. _That_ was the real Castiel.

"Cas…"

The man in the bed tried to sit up. Dean's attention went to him now, where he gawked and gasped at what seemed to be his clone.

"I bring terrible news," said Cas. He knelt beside the bed and took Lawrence's hand in his. "He has put this on you."

"But why me?" Lawrence coughed.

"Because, my love—and I am pleased to announce I have discovered this as well—There is a special strength to your soul that can permeate the difference between our world and the one that the Dark Lord hails from."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you and you alone can destroy him."

Lawrence frowned. "But he's going to kill me before I get the change, huh?"

A somber nod came from the angel. His wings were folded sadly on his back and he leaned to give Lawrence a kiss. "All is well, for I have a great plan."

"I'm not surprised," Lawrence said with a smile.

"It is your soul, my darling. Your _soul_ contains the element which can kill the Dark Lord. Even if he curses you in this lifetime, in the next you will still have the power to destroy him."

"O…kay…"

"I will wait until you return. Then, we will take on the Dark Lord."

"How long will that be?" asked Lawrence.

"I do not know," said Cas, looking quite sad. His thumb rubbed over Lawrence's pale hand. "And I cannot let Lord Azazel know of my plan, which is why I am going into hiding after you leave."

"How can an angel hide?"

Cas pressed his lips together. A tear fell from his wobbling blue eyes. "An angel can't, but a human can."

Lawrence gasped. " _What_? You mean…You mean to tell me—"

"I am sealing away my angelhood. I will hide my spirit until I feel you reincarnate, where my angelic powers will erupt. They will find a place of good merit for me to live. They will change the history of the people living there and convince them that I was born unto them. And then…then we will be together again. I will surely find you. There are signs and ways of bringing our destiny together once more."

The mortal man struggled to take all of this in, meanwhile Dean was having trouble, too. He was starting to figure out _everything_.

"And, Lawrence, my darling," Cas said, urgently this time, "I have done one more thing, as well…"

"Did you?"

"I have bound our souls."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that…it means that every time you are reincarnated—and once I am human, I will die and reincarnate as well—Our souls shall _always_ meet again, until the end of time."

Lawrence's lower lip wobbled. He sighed and whispered a few things that Dean could not hear, and then the angel leaned down to kiss him. Dean felt a strange, old sadness in him well up and push through his chest. He gasped loudly then let out a cry.

Then, the memory ended.

Darkness came once more, and then Cas' voice.

"I am sure you are asking one thing now, and that is; why did I create this message for you if we would be together again? I will tell you this now, my darling. It is because when you left me, and I took part of the angelhood from my spirit, the feelings of humankind overwhelmed me. I had not expected to be that sad over you death. And that is why, with the last ounce of my angelic powers, I have created this memory for you. Please, Lawrence, whatever you may be called now, do not tell the mortal Castiel of his past. If I remember this, the pain…the pain will be too much. That is why _you_ do not remember your past lives. The pain is…the pain is too much to bear. For now, you must destroy Lord Azazel. You must send him back through the dimensional mirror, never to leave again. Then, we will be together. And we shall be together for all of eternity, in this life and the next…and the next…and the next…and the next…"

Cas' voice faded and Dean found the white hall to reappear around him. Cas' face turned into Hannah's. Dean immediately collapsed onto the floor.

"Sh-shiiit…" he cursed, gasping.

"Are you unwell?" asked Hannah.

"No, I'm…fine, I…I just…I have to kill Lord Azazel…"

"Oh, but Dean, you already have."

Dean paused. He started to get up. "What?"

"When you came into this realm, you pushed Azazel within, too."

"But then he should be here?"

"No, no. Not with your touch. That special element that you have in your soul, the magic Castiel mentioned—it put Azazel where he should be."

"So…" Dean stopped. He held his breath and listened to the emptiness of the hall around him. Castiel's statue continue to stare. "So that's it? It's over?"

Hannah smiled. "Indeed. Now it is time to return to your realm and see what a difference you have made."

A finger reached out to touch Dean's head and in a flash, the great halls were gone. He was sitting on warm grass. The sun was out. Birds were singing. Trees were everywhere. What was this place? It was familiar…

"Dean!"

Sam's voice, for sure. Dean looked around and saw Sam come running out from a house.

"Oh, that's right," Dean said to himself. He was back in the Valley.

"Dean, you're back!" Sam laughed. He crashed down onto the ground and put his arms around his brother. "Did you hear? Lord Azazel is gone! Avalon is back to being the Fairy realm!

"No kidding?" Dean asked, chuckling. Weirder things had happened.

"It's amazing. All of the fairies went back. Well, all of them except for Ruby. And Charlie."

"Where are they?"

"Here."

"And how did you all get here?"

Sam pursed his lips, thinking. "You know, I really have no idea."

Then, the voice that Dean had been waiting to hear.

"Dean!"

He stood up and saw Cas running towards him. His heart melted. This was the real Cas, not a memory or a hallucination. They embraced. It had been too long. They kissed.

"Oh, Dean! Everything is going to be okay!"

"How's the baby? And the eggs?"

"Wonderful," said Cas. "And, and, isn't it incredible? We're back in the Valley! Gadreel is here, and Gabriel, and Tessa! It's a miracle. I don't even know how to explain it…Dean?"

"Hm?"

Cas looked a little worried. "Is there…is there something you need to tell me?"

Dean smiled warmly, staring into Cas' eyes. He thought about how much Cas had given up to be with him and to save Kaz. He remembered the promise, too.

"Yeah," said Dean. "I need to tell you how much I love you, and how much I'm looking forward to spending lifetimes together with you."

Cas chuckled. "We're only alive this one time, Dean."

"Right," he corrected, smiling more. They kissed again, then Dean squeezed him tight and touched their heads together. "Right."


	41. Epilogue

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yeah."

" _Positive_? Because Ruby and I could go either way. We're happy with whatever decision you make. It's on you."

Dean patted his brother on the shoulder. "I'm sure. Go for it. You want this more than anything."

Sam took a deep breath. They were in a small, stone room with pretty stained glass windows. A table sat in front of them and upon it sat a pretty outfit made from soft, valuable fabrics. Sam picked up the biggest part, a red tunic, and looked it over. The collar had a gold trim with a few stones set into it. The ensemble was a heavy thing, made with great care and time. Sam smiled. "I'll learn how to read," he said. "I'll learn how to write. I'll make sure that our story is saved in the library."

"That's my Sam," Dean grinned. He then opened his arms real wide and gave his brother a tight hug. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Everything. This worked out great."

A few trumpets sounded from within and they perked up. Sam even grew a little flustered. "I have to change!" he said, scrambling to get undressed. "I'll see you later, right?"

"'Course. Be good."

Dean sniggered as he left the room, then descended a tall spiral staircase. He passed through a few more doors and hallways until he was outside where the trumpets' music came from. The space in front of the grand castle at Lawrence was filled with people, likely everyone who lived there and _then_ some. Dean pushed his way through the crowd with ease, since they all recognized him now. He cut through until he got to the main doors to the castle, which were open but blocked by a few guards. There, he met up with Cas, the baby and their two eggs. Charlie and Meg stood next to him, each with a big smile.

"Excited?" Dean asked. They all nodded.

The fanfare dwindled and a short, older man with a well-groomed beard stepped into view behind the guards. "They are ready now," he muttered to the armored people, who then stepped aside. The crowd began to lurch but the bearded man held up his hand. "Please," he said. "Only those at the front may proceed."

Dean nodded to Cas and they went in, along with a few dozen others. They stepped down the long hallway of stone, the one that looked so much like the gold and white variation in Chuck's domain. Dean looked around with a smile. He held Cas' arm, since he was too busy with eggs and babies to take hands.

They stopped at the head of the hall. There were the thrones and crowns that they had seen when they first came to Lawrence. All was unchanged except for the amount of people who stood and watched.

"Ahem," the man with the beard said. He stood in front of the thrones with his hands together. "Your attention, please? Thank you…I will now begin the crowning ceremony. By order of the rightful King of Lawrence, Dean Winchester, the crown shall be passed to his brother, Sam."

At this moment, Sam came out from a door to the side. He was wearing the clothes from the small room—the velvety red tunic and a long fur on the shoulders. He looked shy but continued to the throne. He gave a small bow. "Mr. Crowley," he said.

"Please don't bow to me, Your Majesty," said the bearded man, clearly named Crowley. "You need only kneel, but don't bow." He picked up the gold crown from the larger thrown and held it high. Sam got down on both knees. "With this crown, I call upon the higher powers to channel their spirits through you. This, the symbol of responsibility of our great land, tells all of Kaz that you are the leader of our people. From henceforth shall you preside over our city and our land, delegate leadership when leadership is needed, give aid when aid is needed, and give hope when hope is needed." The crown lowered down onto Sam's head, resting nicely atop his hair. "From this day and until the day you part from us, shall you be known as Samuel, King of Lawrence. You may stand."

Sam got up and the crowd erupted into applause. Blushing, Sam looked at everyone and gave a humble wave. His attention was drawn away from them when Ruby stepped into the room. She wore a long, blue gown that had been altered last minute for her wings to stick out of the back. Makeup had been done and she looked different. She smiled at her husband, then got to her knees. Mr. Crowley had to lean down for Ruby, since she was so much shorter than Sam. He held the silver tiara in his hands.

"With this diadem, I call upon the higher powers to channel their spirits through you. This, the symbol of faith and love, tells all of Kaz that you are bound to our great King. May you cherish his love and give peace to our people." The tiara went onto Ruby's head. It was a little bit too big and Crowley frowned before pushing it down a little further. Ruby's wings fluttered. "From this day and until the day you part from us, shall you be known as Ruby, Queen of Lawrence. And may I also add that you are the first fairy to attain royal status in Lawrence. You may stand."

The fairy stood and more applause came from the onlookers. Crowley signaled to the thrones and the new royal couple took their respective seats. They held hands between the chairs and Crowley stepped aside. "Does the King have any words for us?" he asked.

"Um, I do," Sam began, chuckling nervously. "I want to thank my brother Dean for giving me this opportunity. He is your rightful king, but he doesn't want it. He would rather live in the Valley, in the old volcano, with his mate and his children. I think that is a respectable choice. His life has been hard. He has seen many challenges. He and Castiel deserve the peaceful, quiet life they always wanted. And I, as your king, shall see to it that we all have peace and quiet. The Dark Lord Azazel is gone, and the fairies are moving back to Avalon, their true home. I am honored to be your king for these wonderful years to come. Thank you, everyone."

More cheering. Sam looked the Dean and gave him a knowing nod, which Dean returned with a wink. The baby reached out and tried to touch Dean's arm.

"Heey, what'cha doing there?" Dean asked, laughing.

"He wants you to hold him," said Cas. "Here."

He handed the baby over and Dean took him comfortably in his arms. "I bet you're ready to go back home to the Valley, eh?" The baby cooed.

"We will come back to visit, surely," said Cas. "I _do_ like the city, but the Valley is better."

"Yep," said Dean. He leaned against Cas and bounced the baby. "I think little Lawrence likes it better, too."

Cas laughed and gave the baby a kiss on his forehead, then he kissed Dean on the lips. Sam and Ruby watched them happily, knowing everything worked out well for most of the people in their lives. His gratitude towards Dean was endless, as was the peace that the land of Kaz saw from that day forth.

 **~*~THE MOTHER FUCKING ~*~**


End file.
